I Would Have Loved You All My Life
by Fanfiction Bard
Summary: AU. Henry found Emma when he was seventeen, and after he faced the crushing blow of reality. Now, as Henry's coming to terms with finding his lost family, he must team up with the few people who do remember to get Emma to realize her destiny, and break the curse.
1. Prolouge: No More Happy Endings

**The idea for this story came to my mind when I read KillerElephant's story "Long Goodbye to Babies". It's a pretty good read, and I encourage anyone who loves Henry/Regina family moments to read it. This story is based off of the idea that Henry never went for Emma, and instead found her after he left Storybrooke to go to college. Most of this will be AU, like the curse mythology, but I don't want to give too much spoilers away. The only thing I'll say for now is that Kurt and Owen will have never come to Storybrooke. I just feel that they wouldn't have a very significant part in my fic.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "Once Upon a Time", nor do I own KillerElephant's "Long Goodbye to Babies". (s)he gave me permission to make a story based off of it.**

PROLOGUE: NO MORE HAPPY ENDINGS

"Henry, this is getting ridiculous!" Regina shouted. "You're fourteen years old, for goodness' sake! You need to outgrow this nonsense!"

"It _isn't_ nonsense!" Henry shouted, gritting his teeth as he spoke. They were having the argument again. Henry would come home from his session with Archie, Regina would try to convince Henry that his belief in the curse wasn't true, Henry would say otherwise, they'd share some hurtful words, and he would go up to his room and cry into his pillow.

Unfortunately, this was one of those days.

"It isn't!" Henry repeated. "You just want everything to stay the way things are! You're happy that everyone else around you is miserable! _Even your own son_!"

"How am I making you miserable Henry?" Regina challenged. "All I've ever done was put a roof over your head, feed you, cloth you, and raise you since you were a baby. After all I've done for you, you have the nerve to accuse me of making you _miserable_?"

"Don't change the subject. And you _aren't my mother_." Henry growled. There were few, if anyone in Storybrooke, who would challenge Regina Mills. But Henry was too angry to care. He didn't care that she was his adopted mother, or that she had an entire town in her pocket. If anything, the latter made him angrier. It made him sick to his stomach how everyone in town would cower before her and let her step on them.

Regina was taken back at the fury in Henry's eyes. Usually, they had the innocence of a child, filled with kindness and hope. But lately, as Henry got older and they started their little cycle of arguing, Henry started to become more detached. More sad. And more angry.

"Kids I've known since I was a toddler are still the same age as when I met them. I've never had any friends because I'm the only one moving up grades. And if that wasn't bad enough, everyone shuns me because I'm your _son_. The son of the evil mayor," Henry took a deep breath, and continued. "So yeah, both you and your curse have made me miserable. Thanks _mom_."

"You insolent little…don't you _dare_ speak to me like that again," Regina hissed. Her face became once again became that usual calm and condescending expression. "clearly your delusion has gone too far."

"_Delusion_?" Henry shouted, his face hot with anger. "I'm the _only_ one who _ever_ ages in this whole damn town! Whenever someone tries to leave, something happens to keep them from leaving. After _everything_, how can you still think that you can hide this-"

Henry's sentence was cut short when he heard a sharp crack and felt sudden pain on his cheek, and saw a cold, penetrating gaze coming from his mother.

"_Don't ever speak to me like that again_." Regina spoke with the voice of the Evil Queen, not one of any mother.

Henry wasn't surprised when his mother slapped him. If anything, he was expecting it to happen for a long time. For his mother to stop pretending she loved him. So he just stared straight into her mother's eyes for a few minutes, and stormed up the stairs and into his room.

The slam of the door shook the entire house.

Henry immediately threw himself on the bed, buried his face into his pillow, and screamed as loud as he could. He then threw the pillow against the wall with all his strength. He reached under his bed, grabbed his storybook, slammed his nightstand with it, and threw it across his room.

_The Savior was supposed to come._

_She was supposed to make everything right again._

_She was supposed to break the curse._

_So where the _hell_ was she?_

Henry sat down on his bed, now just aware of the tears streaming down his face.

Maybe she was never coming.

_I held onto the belief that Emma would come and save the town from the curse, and me from my misery._

_I guess she's not coming._

Henry now realized the truth; no one would ever help him out of his problems, and those that would were just fooling themselves. If you wanted a happy ending, you'd have to reach out and take it, instead of waiting for a magical savior that would never come.

Henry knew that the curse was real. There was no denying it. He had seen proof with his own eyes, even if no one else did. He had seen everyone around him stay the same while he was the only one who aged. But holding on the belief had gotten him nothing.

Nothing more than being "the crazy kid who believes in fairy tales".

Henry Mills took a good, long look at the book entitled _Once Upon a Time_.

He knew that now was the time to let go.

**This is my first multi chapter fic, so I'd ****_really_**** appreciate any feedback and reviews!**

**In other words, no reviews, no continuation!**

**Just kidding, LOL. I'm going to keep updating this to the end.**


	2. Chapter 1: Goodbyes and Revelations

**Okay, here's the second chapter. It's long, and it only came so early because I was working on it before I published the story. Expect the next chapters to be made weekly. I'd like to thank those who reviewed, favorited, and followed my story; jo, Isabella Poulous, swingingfreely, dogloverlisathekud, naiariddle, texasangel8. This chapter's dedicated to you guys!**

CHAPTER 1: GOOBYES AND REVELATIONS

There was only a fragment of the summer warmth left in the nippy Maine climate. Autumn was fast approaching, leaving a slight chill in the air as Regina Mills walked through the streets of Storybrooke, headed to Granny's with a seventeen-year old Henry at her side.

It had been three years since "that day", as Regina and Archie referred to it. The day when Henry's childhood had been destroyed, shattering his innocence and turning the shards to dust. Regina had come upstairs later to apologize for hitting him, and Henry just shrugged and said it was no big deal. He didn't say anything for the rest of the day.

The next day, Henry had given Mary Margaret back the storybook. He didn't see any point in keeping it anymore. His former teacher had seen the change in Henry's eyes, and it almost broke her heart. She knew something had happened, but to this day, she didn't know what. She didn't want to force it out of Henry, and she was too timid to ask Regina.

The only things she knew, was that the innocent young boy that could lighten up anyone's mood with his optimism was dead and gone. He was replaced with a lonely teenager who was filled with self-loathing and glumness.

That saddened everyone who knew the boy. Mary Margaret, Ruby, Granny, Archie, Graham, Marco, but most of all, his adopted mother.

Regina thought she had triumphed when Henry had forgotten about the curse. Instead, it made her miserable. She tried everything she could to bring back the Henry that everyone in Storybrooke knew and loved. When talking to him solved nothing, she doubled his sessions with Archie. When there was little change, she was convinced that the problem was with _her_. She was the Evil Queen to him, the cause of all his problems. So she figured she just had to become a better person.

So _she_ started taking sessions with Archie, trying to overcome the malice and cruel nature she had for so long. Regina tried to be more courteous to people, being more kind, or as kind as she could at least. For the first time in many long years, Regina found that she was liked by the people of Storybrooke, rather than feared.

Still no change in Henry.

Though he had to admit that he had seen an impressive change in his adopted mother, Henry knew it wouldn't be enough to heal the scar that he had for so long.

Henry had changed significantly in the past few years. He shot up like a weed, now a good two inches taller than Regina. His brown hair was longer and shaggier, reaching past his earlobes. His lean frame had a bit more muscle than it was in his younger years, his voice several octaves deeper, and his facial features sharper. Those eyes, those hazel eyes that Regina used to love looking at, full of childlike innocence, light, and love, were now practically dead. They looked like the eyes of a victim accepting his fate.

And in truth, he was a victim. Regina thought that the curse would affect him too, keeping him a baby forever. But it didn't, and eventually he found that he was the only person in Storybrooke who had even aged at all. It wasn't until he was six that he noticed his friends were still in their same grade while he moved up in school. He asked this to his mother, and she just replied that he was smarter than all of them. Henry, being suckered by the compliment, bought it and dropped the subject.

After "that day", Henry just forgot about the curse, about fairy tales, but everyone staying the same age was a constant reminder that it was all real.

When they entered the Diner, Henry and Regina were greeted with a loud "SURPRISE!" from Mary Margaret, Archie, Marco, Ruby, Granny, Sean, Ashley, and Graham.

"What's this?" Henry asked, confused.

"It's you're 'going away and we're gonna miss you' party!" Ruby said cheerfully.

"Really?" Henry asked, a hint of a smile decorating his usually sullen features. "Thanks guys, you shouldn't have."

"It was your mother's idea," Graham said, approaching Henry and clapping him on the back. "And of course we should have. You're off to college!"

Regina smiled proudly at her son. Henry, who had resigned himself to study often, had graduated from high school a year early. She couldn't aptly describe how proud she was of her son. But deep down, she was devastated to realize that her son, the one thing she had loved in a very long time, was leaving.

And it was insult to injury to know that she couldn't leave Storybrooke and visit him when she wanted. Also, she wasn't entirely sure that he would visit her. She may have played the "after all I've done for you" card more often than she could remember, but in truth. she knew that he owed her nothing.

It was cruel irony, how time had both moved too fast for Henry, and not at all for her.

But she wouldn't think about that right now. She would just enjoy what precious moments she had left with her son.

* * *

For the rest of the night, Regina held back tears of joy as she saw her son, her dear son, _smiling_.

_Actually smiling._

Ever since "that day," Henry hardly smiled, his features emotionless, save for the sadness in his eyes. And on the few occasions he did smile, they were all forced ones, made for the sake of politeness.

Henry was no less happy than Regina. For him, this was just a way to forget the curse, forget the past, and just have a regular day with the people he had come to know as friends.

Though he was no longer in her class, Henry would always be Mary Margaret's favorite student, not to mention his best friend. Since "that day," which she knew was a closed subject with him, Mary Margaret had always looked at Henry with sympathy and a twinge of guilt in her eyes. She gave him that storybook for the sole purpose of him not losing that childlike innocence that all people lose to cruel reality. Instead, that's exactly what happened, and Mary Margaret couldn't help but feel a bit responsible.

Ruby and Granny were still the same. They still acted hostile towards each other, and yet kind to everyone else. Granny was the hard-ass she always was, and Ruby was still rebellious and dreamed of leaving Storybrooke. They were both serving drinks and food to everyone else, taking a few breaks to socialize. Ruby and Henry were on the same level as when he was younger. They were friends if not awkward acquaintances, though he remembered when he was sixteen, she had once tried to flirt with him. Henry never really saw her that way though, seeing how she was a bit older than him. Okay, she was trapped in an ageless limbo, so probably _much_ older than him.

Graham and Regina were still seeing each other, and still privately. They stopped trying to keep it a secret from Henry when he was thirteen, but they made him promise not to tell anyone. He fully understood. Talk of the mayor and the sheriff together would be a huge scandal.

Aside from Archie, who was always his friend and moral guide, Graham was the closest fatherly figure in Henry's life. Today, that civil yet authoritive visage that the sheriff usually wore was replaced with a carefree, friendly expression.

Archie and Marco were sitting at a table opposite of each other, chatting away. Archie and Henry were still friends, although their sessions stopped when he was sixteen. Their sessions hadn't had much effect after Henry let go of his fairy tales. He wasn't as talkative as he was before, not wanting to talk about the curse, and especially not about "that day". Archie eventually learned about it, and that was from Regina. He tried his hardest to help Henry, to bring back his destroyed imagination and childlike innocence, but it was all in vain.

Ashley and Sean were at the diner too. A few months ago, Henry had heard about Ashley's deal with Mr. Gold, and he wanted to help. So he went to the pawnbroker, and tried to convince him to forget the deal. The only way he could do that, however, was if Henry made a deal with Gold, and as dangerous as he knew that was, he accepted.

Ever since then, Ashley and Sean had gotten back together, and treated Henry like more than a friend, like family. They even agreed to let him become the godfather. Henry, though never aloud, usually questioned why he had helped her in the first place, seeing how her baby never would be born anyhow. But as deep as he fell into his abyss of cynicism, Henry would never stop caring about others.

Ava and Nicholas were at the diner too, along with their father. When Henry was twelve, he found the two going into an abandoned house. Curious, Henry followed them, and discovered they lived alone. They became fast friends, and every day, the three would hang out. Henry was happy that he had found friends, though he had to admit, he sometimes wished that he and Ava would be more than friends. He didn't tell them about the curse though. He had just found real, true friends, and he didn't want to ruin it all by making them think that he was crazy.

Although the three had good times, Henry always felt sympathy for the two. Their mother died, their father left them, and they were scavenging to survive. One day, Henry had enough of watching them live the way they did, and went to Graham. Henry begged him to find Ava and Nicholas's father, and he eventually relented, not wanting the boy to lose his only friends to the foster system. Graham eventually found the children's father, Michael Tillman, who was at first reluctant to take them in. But Henry persuaded him, telling him that the kids would end up in the system, and would probably end up separated. Michael was still unsure, but Henry brought Ava and Nicholas to the man's garage, and when he saw his children, he knew that letting them go wasn't an option anymore.

Now, though Henry was older, he was still good friends with Ava and Nicholas, even babysitting them when Michael had to work late. But the man knew that they were both responsible kids who didn't need to be babysat. They just loved to be with Henry. They looked up to him like an older brother, and he knew that Ava had a crush on Henry. Henry knew that too, which made him sad, because Ava was Henry's first crush, and his current emotional state didn't exactly leave room in his heart for any relationships.

Henry was so deep in thought that he didn't know someone was saying his name until they tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped at the sudden contact, and turned to see Mary Margaret with an apologetic expression on her face.

"Sorry Henry, sorry," the schoolteacher said quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine." Henry said. Mary Margaret didn't say anything for a few seconds, just looking at Henry with a sad smile on her face.

"What's up?" Henry asked, wanting to break the awkward silence. He wasn't that sociable, so he was never good in long conversations.

"I just can't believe how fast you've grown," Mary Margaret said. "It seems like only yesterday, you were in my class." She laughed a bit before continuing. She had always loved Henry like her own family. "And now, you're off to college!"

Henry smiled a bit before his former teacher continued.

"Henry, I wanted to give you something before I forgot. Just a sec," Mary Margaret went to her booth and from the seat, she pulled out a familiar looking leather-bound storybook.

"Hey, Ms. Blanchard," Henry started as Mary Margaret walked back to Henry, but she cut him off.

"Henry, I know that you gave this back, but that doesn't mean you have to forget it all." Forget how he believed in those fairy tales with unwavering faith, only to have his childhood crumble on top of him. "I gave you this book, so you could believe in the possibility of a happy ending. So you could believe you can find one."

"I appreciate it, but I'm done with that stuff now." Henry pointed at the book as he sadly looked at the golden letters on the cover. "I can't spend the rest of my life buried in fairy tales. I need to embrace the real world."

The sadness on Mary Margaret's face grew. Henry had grown up too fast and far too much.

"At least take it? For old time's sake?" She asked hopefully.

Henry hesitated a bit before finally taking the book. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Mary Margaret smiled as she took in just how much Henry had changed over the years.

Where had all that time gone?

* * *

After Henry had given his goodbyes to his friends, he and Regina left to go back to the house.

Regina had enjoyed herself at the party. She mingled a bit, not that she ever really cared for small talk. She was overjoyed to see Henry talking, smiling, and having a good time with his friends. She almost forgot about the curse and Henry's misery altogether. But after the party, Henry had gone back to his quiet, detached self.

It was enough to drive her mad.

"I'll go and make sure I packed everything." Henry said when they entered the house.

Regina said nothing and just stood where she was as Henry walked up the stairs. Even though she couldn't see them, she knew that his eyes were full of hurt. They had been for that last four years.

And it was all her fault.

She thought that casting the curse would be her ultimate victory. That she would finally get the happy ending she longed for. Instead, it all felt hollow, dull, and meaningless.

So she decided to adopt a child. In her younger days, Regina always dreamed of raising a child. She believed motherhood would be wonderful. It would give her a chance to make sure that someone would grow up with the mother that she herself had always wanted. When Gold found Henry for her, she had hoped that the curse would make sure he would stay a baby forever. That her one source of true happiness would be timeless and eternal.

Instead, fate was cruel as it always was with her. Henry grew up. And it was the stem of his misery. No, the Curse was. The Curse was the reason Henry had watched his friends stay the same while he grew up, leading him to become friendless in most of the years of his life. And when he finally found the reason, when he finally found the truth, nobody believed him.

Not even his own mother, who knew that he was right. Rather than let him know that the reality he so desperately wanted to be a part of, she just cast them off as delusions. She tried to make him believe a lie. And ever since "that day", she had never forgiven herself for it.

Watching him now, knowing that in just a few hours before he would leave, made Regina want to scream. It made her want to cry. It made her want to throw her arms around her son and beg him to take her with him.

She has to say something.

Anything.

So she just said the first thing that came to mind.

"It's true."

Henry stopped at the middle of the stairs. He didn't turn around. He didn't say anything. He didn't ask what she was talking about. She knew that he knew. She knew that he was thinking. _Why now? Why now of all times?_ If she saw those eyes, those sad eyes full of brokenness, she knew it would be her emotional undoing.

Regina waited for Henry to turn around. She waited for the screaming, the shouting, the hate. She waited to take out all his locked up emotion on her. Instead, what he said couldn't have hit her harder.

"I know."

She swore that after he went to his room and closed the door, she could hear crying.

**I'd greatly appreciate any reviews.**

**Note: I included a bit of Henry/Gretel because I personally favor that couple! I have nothing against Henry/Grace, I just think Gretel's cooler.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Last Time

**Okay, so I lied. It turns out I'm a faster writer than I anticipated. If you think that the chapters are too short, please tell me.**

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews!**

**JChase- I'm glad you're intrigued! I'm really trying to make Henry someone readers can sympathize with. Most of the story is going to revolve around Henry, his family, and how they work out their issues.**

**HollyBlood98- Thank you! That's a great thing to say to an aspiring writer such as myself! As for Henry centric fics, I know, they are so hard to find. Henry is such a great character, and he deserves to get proper recognition! Some Henry fics that I'd personally recommend are "Prodigal Son", "Stress", "The Prince of Time", "Deals, Devils, and Damnation" "Little Boy Blue", "He Will Always Care" (caution: ANGSTY!), "Long Goodbye to Babies" (which is actually what inspired me to write this fic), "You're Body Will Be Your Tomb", and "In Which Henry Steels Himself and Offers Council". And don't worry about me abandoning this story, because I ****_fully_**** intend to finish it until the end. If anything comes up where I can't update for a while, I'll make sure to make a notification.**

**naiariddle- You bring up a good question. Henry never learned the name of his biological mother, but he found out he was adopted. He only knows Emma's name from the book, not that she's his mother. Emma ****_was_**** destined to come to Storybrooke on her 28****th**** birthday, but that will be delayed in my story, contrary to Rumplestiltskin's prophecy. I caused this to add an element of unpredictability. Don't expect that to be the last alternate story point, because I have a ton more coming! Mwahaha!**

**Queen of Light 17- Thanks. I'll be sure to update as often as I can.**

CHAPTER 2: THE LAST TIME

Henry always liked taking walks. It cleared his head, and let him think straight. He'd do it in his spare time, particularly when he was stressed. He especially liked walks during autumn or winter. The cold Maine air relaxed him. And right now, that was what he needed.

It was past nine, hardly anyone on the street, either working late, at bars, or asleep. Henry usually didn't go out this late, he expected Regina to protest when he said he was going for a walk. But, understanding that he needed to clear his head, she let him leave. She wasn't worried that much for his safety. There was never any significant crime in Storybrooke. The most happening was a drunken Leroy disturbing the peace.

Safety didn't exactly cross Henry's mind right now. Only calming down so he could think straight.

Why now, of all times, did Regina give him the disclosure he had _begged_ for when he was younger? She could have told him the truth a long time ago, and spared him the emotional turmoil.

Was it because he was leaving? Was it she had finally developed a conscience? Because she felt guilty? How could she honestly think that she could make anything right by just saying, "It's true"? Did she really think that she could make up for years of neglect and lies with just two words?

Did she have _any_ idea what he had gone through? Did she know the full extent of her own son's suffering? How many times he genuinely thought he was crazy? How he had desperately searched for proof of the curse? How he spent most nights crying himself to sleep, because everyone believed he was crazy, but too polite to openly say it?

When Mary Margaret gave him the book, "Once Upon a Time", he was enraptured by every last one of those fairy tales. He would devote every second of his spare time to reading the book. Henry would pride himself in knowing all of those stories by heart. It was only when he finished the book and learned about the curse, was when he put the pieces of the puzzle together and realized that Storybrooke was the place where all those fairy tale characters were sent to lose their happy endings.

One of the reasons he wanted the curse to be real was probably because he wasn't content with how life was in Storybrooke. He figured that fairy tales would be a better option. So he first used it as a source of escapism. But he knew in his heart that it was all true. That it wasn't all just a childhood fantasy.

But as he got older, Henry wanted to believe that the curse wasn't real. That it was just a delusion, like everyone else had told him. That would let him move on with his life a lot quicker and easier, and best of all, with no heartbreak. But when he saw how nobody aged, how he grew up while they stayed the same, he couldn't deny that it was all real.

And that was what made him so angry. So hurt. How when he wanted something to be true, everyone around him said it wasn't. And when he finally let it all go just to fit back in, everything around him screamed the truth.

Maybe he wasn't angry at his mother or everyone else for not believing him. Okay, he _was_ angry at them, but maybe they weren't entirely to blame. Maybe he was mainly angry at himself for letting it all go, desperate to just fit in. It seemed like the only way to fit in was to get rid of everything that makes you who you are. You'd have to give up yourself just for the sake of being accepted. Maybe Henry was just angry because he just gave up.

Henry didn't even know he was approaching Gold's pawnshop until he saw said man leaving the shop to lock up, but turned instead to face the brooding teen.

"Hello Henry," he said.

"Mr. Gold." Henry greeted him. Henry was never really scared of the pawnbroker, but he couldn't deny that he was unnerving. Gold always had an amused look in his eyes, like he knew something that others didn't.

During the first few years after Henry got his storybook, he didn't know who Mr. Gold really was. It was only the incident with Ashley's baby and well after he let those stories go that he learned who he really was.

Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One.

Four years ago, Henry would read his storybook with close scrutiny, trying to figure out who the pawnbroker really was, only to sigh in frustration. Now, Henry found it ridiculous not to realize it from the start. Gold made deals, especially for children, and was feared by almost everyone in the town. Regina always told Henry to stay away from Gold. Though Henry usually did the exact opposite of what his adopted mother told him to do, he had to admit that he could see why Regina didn't like the man.

Henry may have never minded Gold when he was younger, but after seeing his polite, courteous mask, Henry learned to dislike the man. And the fact that he owed him a favor didn't help Henry's opinion of him at all. Whenever he was near Gold, Henry made sure to appear calm and defiant, not showing any weakness.

"I hear you're leaving off to college tomorrow."

"I am." Henry wasn't much in the mood to have any conversations, least of all with Gold.

"Shame. For everyone here, I mean. Storybrooke just won't be the same without you."

Henry expected Gold to bring up the favor he owed him, that he couldn't grant him the favor if he wasn't in Storybrooke. But he surprised Henry because he hadn't so far.

"I'm sure everyone'll manage." Henry replied coolly.

"Even your mother?" Gold asked. "How is she taking this? Losing your child is anything but pleasant."

Henry didn't say anything, and just looked at the empty road to his right, avoiding Gold's gaze. Apparently, the pawnbroker took this as a sign to keep speaking.

"You're angry with her, aren't you?"

"What?"

"You're angry with your mother."

"Why do you care?" Henry challenged, staring Gold right in the eye. "Why do my family issues matter to _you_ so much?"

"Because I know that look, the one you have in your eyes," Gold said. "It's the look of a child that was hurt. I may have only seen it once, but I know it well, believe me. I know that Regina may not be very…open when it comes to her emotions, but I know that she cares about you. In all my years, I've yet to meet a parent who never loved their child."

Henry just looked at him, surprised at the genuine sorrow in the man's eyes.

"What's your point?" Henry asked, steeling himself again.

"My point is that you shouldn't leave your mother while you're angry. That never ends up well, especially for the parent. She may not be the best person, but she a parent who cares. And that's all someone can ask for."

Gold turned to the door of his shop, and locked the door. Be turned back to Henry before walking away. "Goodbye Henry. And best of luck to you."

* * *

Henry finished putting his luggage in the trunk of the taxi that was parked in front of the house. Regina stood on the sidewalk, looking at her dear, beloved son for what just might possibly be the last time.

He would have gone to all his friends today and said goodbye to them personally. But his flight would leave early in the morning, and he figured everyone would be asleep. So he made sure to say all his goodbyes last night at Granny's.

Now all that was left was saying goodbye to his mother.

Henry walked over to his Regina. He could see that she was doing her best to keep a straight, cool face. Not wanting to get too emotional. She wanted to hug him, but she held back, not sure if he forgave her yet.

Not even sure if her own son loved her.

Henry didn't know what to say. He wasn't that much good with these things.

"I'll keep in touch." Henry said.

For a split second, Regina's stoic mask cracked, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. She nodded.

"Good." Regina said nonchalantly. "I hope that you'll come back to visit," her voice cracking slightly at the last word.

"Don't worry," Henry smiled.

A real, true smile.

"I will."

Henry pulled his mother into a hug.

Regina was at initially surprised, gasping slightly. But she gladly returned the embrace, burying her face in his shoulder and letting loose her held back tears.

"I love you mom." Henry's voice cracked as he couldn't remember the last time he told his mother he loved her.

Regina sobbed as she let those four precious words wash over her.

That was exactly what she needed to hear. What she was waiting to hear for so long.

"I love you too, Henry." They had far too few moments like this, putting aside the past, their mistakes, and allowed themselves to love each other.

To be a family.

When Henry finally pulled away, he took a good long look at his mother one last time. He knew that they both had so much to say. But the look in Regina's eyes told him that she understood. She didn't wear the mask of the Evil Queen.

For the very first time, she looked like a mother.

Even after Henry got in the taxi and left, Regina stood a good amount of time standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, trying her best to keep the last few minutes in her memory.


	4. Chapter 3: Fate is a Fickle Mistress

**This chapters a bit short, but I promise that it'll be good. This is the one where Henry finally meets Emma!**

**Queen of Light 17- I hope I didn't make Gold too out of character. I just figured that he would be sympathetic because of his own issues with his son.**

**comics256- I'm glad you like the story!**

**Brittles- thank you! I've been thinking about this idea for a long time, and I've got big plans for this! But I can't take all the credit, since I got the inspiration from another fanfic, as I've said in the prologue.**

CHAPTER 3: FATE IS A FICKLE MISTRESS

It was three in the morning at Florida State University. The students that weren't fast asleep were studying furiously for their next exam. Henry Mills, however, was interrupted from his own studying by the very loud and boisterous entry of his drunken roommate.

It had been three months since Henry arrived at the University. He hadn't chosen a major yet, not exactly knowing what he wanted to do. When he was younger, Henry thought about going into writing. Henry wanted to be a writer for as long as he could remember. He had always loved stories, and thought it would a very attractive option to be able to write stories himself.

Now, however, that seemed like nothing more than a hollow dream. Henry needed to focus on the real world, not fantasy realms where happy endings would magically bump into you. And yet, despite his pessimism (although he insisted that he was a realist, not a pessimist), Henry had brought his storybook with him. He didn't know exactly why, though. It felt instinctual, like deep down, he needed the book. Though looking at the book brought nothing but pain to Henry, it also reminded him of the good old days, when he was an innocent, naïve child who could see the good in everything.

When he still believed in happy endings.

Being outside of Storybrooke for the first time was pretty interesting. Most of the people he met weren't as friendly as the people in Storybrooke, probably because no one knew him as "the mayor's kid". In all honesty, Henry found it refreshing that no one respected him because of his mother. While she had become nicer to people over the years, she would never lose that authoritative air that usually made people fearful of her. It was nice for Henry to know that if he got respect from anyone, it was genuine, and not out of fear. It was even nicer to be around people who weren't fairy tale characters that were frozen in time by an evil curse.

The teachers and fellow students were pretty okay. His roommate, Geoff, was really annoying, albeit unintentionally. He'd always stay out late and go out to parties, and try to convince Henry to go to come with him, have a drink, meet some girls, and have some fun. Henry knew Geoff meant well, but although Henry did sometimes get bored with college life, he didn't want to go to jail for underage drinking or end up a father. Henry never asked what Geoff did at the parties, but he had a pretty good idea from watching him barge into their dorm in the middle of the night, drunk off his knocker like he was doing right now. What would happen next was almost like a pre-planned cycle. Geoff would wake up with a terrible hangover, followed by regret, self-loathing, and eventual recovery as he tried to convince Henry to go to another party. He'd probably try to get him to go by saying that some cute girl that likes him is going to be there, or one of the professors would be there and get so drunk, all the students there would get away with drawing something really embarrassing on their faces with a permanent marker.

"Ho…honey! I'm home!"

Speaking of the devil, Geoff, in his drunken and disheveled stupor and giggling like he was being tickled. He walked straight into Henry's clothes cabinet with a thud.

"Forward ho!" Geoff slurred as he opened the cabinet and crawled into it like it was some kind of crawlspace.

"Whoa, there bud," Henry got up and grabbed Geoff's shoulders. "Go step on your own clothes. These are mine." Henry led his roommate to his bed on the left side of dorm.

"Please don't vomit," Henry said to Geoff as laid him down in the appropriate position, so if he did vomit, it didn't go back into his lungs.

"O-okay…" Geoff was soon out cold.

Henry sighed and went back to his desk to study for that lousy Precalculus test he had tomorrow, making a silent vow to not pick a major that involved any math. Just as he picked up his pencil, he heard the obnoxiously loud snoring of a certain drunken asshole.

This was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

Henry sat on the booth of the crowded diner, waiting impatiently for someone to take his order, and trying not to focus on the incoherent chatting happening all around him. His first class would start soon, but he was tired, and he needed a nice hot chocolate with a good amount of cinnamon. Any normal person would have ordered coffee, but he never liked caffeine in the first place. And the smell of coco laced with cinnamon would calm his wracked brain.

"Be with you in just a sec, sorry 'bout the delay," the waitress said as she passed him to fill someone elses order.

"No problem," Henry said for the politeness' sake, doing his best to hide his irritation. It was pretty crowded, though it was morning. The only reason he was at a diner so far from campus was because this one had the best hot chocolate. And apparently the slowest service.

_That's not fair,_ he mentally told himself. _It's not their fault. It's crowded, and there are other customers. The world doesn't revolve around me._

Henry waited for a few more minutes until the waitress came and took his order. After she left, Henry went back into his deep thought.

Though he may have enjoyed his new experiences, leaving Storybrooke and seeing what the world was like, Henry had to admit that he missed his hometown. He missed seeing his mother. He missed going to Granny's and chatting with Ruby. He missed talking with Mary Margaret over a hot chocolate, with of course, cinnamon. He missed passing Archie and Marco on the streets and sharing a friendly hello to them. He missed hanging out with Sean and Ashley, seeing how excited and terrified they were to be parents. He missed babysitting Ava and Nicholas, playing 20 questions with them before making them go to bed. He still kept in touch with his mother and everyone else, but calling, texting, and emailing them weren't the same as actually talking with them in person. Henry didn't know that he would miss them all as much as he did.

Most of all, he missed believing in the curse. Believing that every story in his book was true and that a savior would someday come and free them all from their misery. Believing that all of his problems could be solved magically. Mainly, believing in hope.

"_Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing._" His former teacher's words echoed in his mind.

Mary Margaret was right, of course. Henry believing in happy endings is what started it all.

And ended in heartbreak.

"Powerful, but short lived," Henry impulsively muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

Henry turned to his left to see a woman who was referring to him. He must have muttered louder than he thought.

"Were you talking to me?" the woman said.

"Oh, no. Sorry."

"Here you go," Henry saw the waitress placing a cup that smelled of coco and cinnamon in front of him. "Hot coco with cinnamon. Enjoy."

Henry thanked the waitress, and took a good, long sip from his favorite beverage. He felt better already.

"And I thought I was the only one who liked cinnamon with my hot chocolate."

Henry turned to see the same woman who asked if he was talking to her.

"Well, now I don't feel so alone." Henry said jokingly. He was a bit surprised at himself, voluntarily taking part in conversation like this. What surprised him more was the fact that he made a joke. Usually, he would have just politely smiled, continued drinking his coco, leave the diner, and mentally prepare himself for his classes. It felt instinctive, willingly talking to her.

The woman laughed. "I know what you mean. My husband never liked cinnamon, period. And especially not in hot chocolate." She was a very beautiful woman, probably in her mid-thirties. She had long blond hair and hazel eyes which were sort of like his own. She wore a red leather jacket and dark blue jeans.

"The only other person I know who liked cinnamon enough to put it in her hot chocolate was my 4th grade teacher," Henry found that he liked speaking to this woman for some reason. Not like _that_, of course. She was far too old for him, not to mention she was married. But deep down in his gut, he trusted her.

"I ought to meet her. Cinnamon lovers of the world unite!" Henry laughed at the woman's joke.

"Henry Mills," Henry reached out his hand. The woman shook it.

"Emma Cassidy."

**So here's Emma! And she's married to Neal, for all you Swanfire fans out there. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. You guys just worry about reveiwing! LOL.**

**P.S- By the way, Florida State University is in Tallahassee, just so you know.**


	5. Chapter 4: Suspicions

**So here's the new update! The coming chapters are going to be a bit longer now, because the plot is going to thicken!**

**killian-me- I'm glad you love it! I too, love a creative AU.**

**Firetiger- Thank you! Emma is thirty five.**

**hprandom554- Thank you! I wanted to adopt some elements from the show into my story.**

**Queen of Light 17- Thanks! I hope I didn't make the meeting between Henry and Emma too soon, though.**

**naiariddle- basically, August never convinced Neal to leave Emma. I don't want to give away too many spoilers.**

**HollyBlood98- okay, first of all, Emma is ****_not_**** a waitress, she was eating at the diner. Sorry that you got confused. And in my AU, August never convinced Neal to leave Emma, so she didn't become as emotionally closed off as she is in the show. I hope I didn't make her too ooc though. Plus, she does feel some kind of subconscious connection to Henry, like Mary Margaret did with Emma before the curse was broken.**

CHAPTER 4: SUSPICIONS

Winter was coming fast, with Thanksgiving over, and the air was getting colder by the day, despite the warm, Florida climate. Students were walking plainly across the campus of Florida State University, eager to get to their dorm and study, or to get to their next class.

One particular student, however, strode with happiness and confidence that could only come from someone who just won the lottery.

Though it was as baffling to him as it was to everyone who was aware of his broody nature, Henry Mills was in a delightfully good mood today.

He could never exactly put his finger on it, but for some reason, he was more cheerful, more optimistic, and _happier_. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt truly happy.

It was probably because he now had real friends now. Friends that he wouldn't eventually outgrow because of an evil curse. Friends that weren't fairytale characters. Friends that didn't know him as "the mayor's kid", or "that kid who thinks fairytales are real".

Real, honest friends who didn't judge him before they knew him.

Henry thought he and Emma parted ways after he left the diner that day. He went back there the very next day, expecting his life to go on as it had. Instead, Emma was there like she was the other day, as well as her husband, Neal. And so this continued for about a week. Henry would come to the diner and see Emma and Neal. They'd talk, laugh, and get to know each other. Though Henry wasn't much the friend-making type, he made fast friends with the couple.

He didn't know what it was about them that made him like them so much. They both seemed pretty amiable to him. He figured it was hard for any normal person _not_ to make friends with them. And Henry was always more at ease talking with older people that those his own age. Aside from his maturity, he had a type of world-weariness that made him act much older than he actually was.

Plus, "that day" made Henry grow up fast, and killed what was left of his childhood.

Henry didn't really understand why he trusted Emma and Neal as much as he did. They were both good people, as far as Henry knew them. But there was something deep down, something that told him that these two people could be trusted. That he needed to know them, and it was important for them to be in his life.

Also, something that he didn't like thinking about much, he felt like that he needed to be in their presence. That it was important for them to like him. That was the part he failed to understand the most. Henry never much cared about what others thought of him. He just focused on what he thought about himself. He never cared much for approval. But with Emma and Neal, things were different. He talked about his college career so far with pride, and honestly strove to do better than he already was in his classes when Neal jokingly told him to keep his grades up.

Henry didn't know why he trusted Emma and Neal as much as he did.

Whatever the reason, Henry was glad to have Emma and Neal as friends.

* * *

Emma walked into the same diner she'd been going to for breakfast for the last two years.

Emma Cassidy was never much of a morning person. That's why she'd go every morning to the diner that, as she heard, has the best hot chocolate in Tallahassee, which could only be better with cinnamon. Neal would come along, if he didn't have to go to work. He'd adamantly order a coffee, despite Emma's attempts to get him to have hot chocolate with her. He never understood his wife's preference of cinnamon.

The two had been married soon after they had both gotten out of prison. They had both done very well for themselves. They had a pretty nice apartment, and they put aside their days as thieves. Emma was now a bail bondsman, and Neal was an executive assistant at a newspaper company. They weren't rich, but they had each other, and that was all they could ever ask for. Emma could have gotten any other job, one that was more relaxing, but the focus that was required from being a bail bondsman helped her forget about the past, which was something she needed. Something that she and Neal needed. The couple had to move forward. For the most part, Emma and Neal were happier than they ever dreamed.

Except for one, small detail.

Emma had just started her sentence when she learned that she was pregnant. She and Neal were put into separate prisons, and they wouldn't be out until _long_ after her baby would be born. And she couldn't raise a child in prison. So, she only had one choice, adoption. It scared her, no, it _terrified_ her to know that her baby would be raised by someone else. Someone she didn't even know. And what frightened her most was that she wouldn't be able to see her baby again.

Sure, she could adopt her child back when she got out, but she and Neal would have to be eligible and qualified to be able to raise a child. They'd need a well-paying job and a suitable house. And she wasn't all that sure they'd be able to get those.

What truly terrified her was the possibility of her child, _her own child_, growing up in the foster system.

She couldn't let that happen. She would _never_ let that happen to her own flesh and blood.

So, Emma got a lawyer who gave her some insight about adoption. She was sympathetic to the soon-to-be mother, and promised that her child would go to someone that would be a good parent, someone who'd love the baby. But Emma couldn't be involved at all in who got her child.

It broke Emma's heart, the thought of not being able to raise her own child. That she could never watch it grow up.

But she could live with that, as long as her baby got the chance that she never had.

After Emma and Neal got out of prison, she hesitated at first telling him about their son. But he deserved to know. She remembered watching Neal's face light up when he learned she was pregnant, only to fall into despair when he learned that she gave him away. She expected him to be angry, but instead he was too torn apart to feel anything but sadness.

She had to explain to him that their son, the son that she only held for twenty minutes and him not at all, was gone. Out of their lives forever.

That was the first time she had ever seen Neal cry.

It was hard, but eventually, they moved on, and they went to Tallahassee to start a new life as they planned. It didn't take long for them to get married. Neal wanted to give Emma the wedding she deserved, but they had nowhere near enough money for that, plus they didn't have any friends to invite. They spent some time sleeping in their car as they once did, until they could afford an apartment. They ended up getting steady jobs that put food on their table and paid their rent.

The first time they talked about having children, the conversation ended almost as soon as it began. At the time, they were in no place to start a family. They were barely supporting themselves. Supporting children was out of the question. The couple eventually got better jobs, and enough money to get a new apartment, and they rarely had a shortage of money. They eventually agreed to have a baby. They tried, oh how they tried, but it was all in vain. After trying for about two years, they learned that Neal was infertile.

After that day, they'd spend every now and then talking about the baby.

"_What did he look like?_" Neal would ask her every day.

"_He was so small. So perfect,_" She'd say. "_He had my eyes. And dark hair, like you._" Emma didn't know why they talked about it so much. She and Neal both knew it just gave them heartache.

There was not a day that went by, where Emma didn't wonder where her son was. If she had passed him on the street. If she had spoken to him.

She couldn't begin to imagine how Neal felt about this. That he didn't even get to see his only child. That he didn't get to hold him when he was born. That he wasn't able to see the small, seven pounds of pure perfection that she was blessed enough to witness. Most of all, she didn't know how he wasn't able to be angry at her. How he was able to forgive her for denying him the chance to see his own son.

_Don't think about that now_, Emma mentally told herself. _What's done is done._

When she walked into the diner, which was thankfully not as crowded as it usually was, and saw Henry sitting at the counter. The teenager looked over at the sound of the opening door, and saw his newly made friend.

"Hey Emma," Henry said.

"Hey Henry," Emma said. "How are you?"

"Good. You?"

"Good." Emma knew Henry was a sullen kid, not used to being in many long conversations. She thought it was a wonder that he managed to be friends with her and Neal. They were both loners in the world, probably one of the reasons why they were together. She didn't even know why she wanted to be friends with him in the first place. But for some reason, she trusted this kid. She wanted to be friends with him, wanted to be near him.

They ordered their breakfast, and they were left in an awkward silence.

"So what's up?" Emma asked.

"Nothing much," Henry said on impulse. "My birthday's coming up."

"Really? What day?"

"December 2nd."

"Oh," Emma said. December 2nd was the exact day that…

Emma's eyes widened slightly as she was saw Henry's smile. Throughout the time in which Emma knew Henry, he rarely smiled. But this time, his smile looked eerily familiar. It might have been a forced one, but she knew that smile well.

She'd see that smile every day when she saw Neal.

"Emma?" Henry brought Emma out of her thoughts. "You okay?" he asked. "You just zoned out for a few seconds."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry." Emma apologized, but still thinking.

_He's adopted._

_He's seventeen._

_He has his smile. Dark hair._

_He has my eyes…how could I have not noticed that until now?_

_Could it be?_

"Emma?" Henry had to tap her shoulder to get her attention.

"Yeah?" Emma said absentmindedly, her mind clearly somewhere else.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Emma, back into focus, smiled like it was no big deal, and went back to talking with Henry.

She'd have a lot to talk about with Neal tonight.

* * *

Neal Cassidy didn't hate his job. But he had to admit that it wore him out from time to time. That's why he came home that day tired and weary, expecting the day to go by as it always has.

Not that it was a bad thing. Quite the contrary. Neal had no problem with the way things were now. He loved his life. He might not be rich, but he had enough to get by. He had a job that didn't always make him feel like he couldn't have a moment's rest, unlike his days of being a thief. He had a wife that he loved and who loved him. That was all he ever wanted for a long time; a family. He may not have had children, but that was something he and Emma agreed to forget. It wasn't healthy for them to cling to the past. Especially when they were living in a great present.

When he walked in through the door of his apartment, he saw Emma sitting on the couch in the living room, her arms crossed as she waited for Neal to come home.

Something was up.

"Hey hon," Neal said as he came in.

"Hey Neal." Emma said as she got up rather quickly and walked to her husband.

"I need to talk to you about something." Emma said as a look of urgency came across her face.

"What's up?" Neal asked. He didn't know what could possibly be wrong.

"Do you remember Henry?" She asked. Neal nodded. How could he forget the broody college student that he and his wife befriended? Despite the obvious fact that he was not a people person, Henry managed to make fast friends with the two.

"His birthday's coming up," Before Neal could ask why Emma's so concerned about that, she continued. "It's on December 2nd"

"Okay, so…" Neal trailed off, and his eyes began to widen and his jaw dropped as he realized exactly what she was implying.

"He's got your hair."

_Could it be?_

"He's has your smile."

_No…_

"He has my eyes."

_He's my…my…_

"I think…that Henry's our son."

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	6. Chapter 5: Let it Go

**WARNING: this chapter has a LOT of family drama and angst! Read at your own risk!**

**Queen of Light 17- Thanks for your review! It means a lot!**

**killian-me- I'm glad that you love my story so much! I've got big plans for this story!**

**Anna- Thank you! It's reviews like yours that keep this story going!**

**Guest- It's so uplifting that my story makes you happy!**

CHAPTER 5: LET IT GO

On any normal day, Neal would have come home, weary from having to deal to his boss's insufferable eccentricity that was well near impossible not to insult, and Emma came home from tracking down and detaining someone who skipped bail, and more often than not kicking them in their manhood when they tried to sweet-talk her. They'd argue on what to make for dinner. Emma would always try to convince Neal to cook something, because a) she enjoyed watching his reaction when he burnt the food, and b) she didn't understand why the woman should be the one to cook. Neal would suggest they go out to eat or order takeout. They'd be at it for about twenty minutes until hunger settled in or until Neal made his best puppy-dog face at Emma.

If only this was a normal day.

Instead of playful arguments and smoke coming from the oven, the apartment was filled with a great silence for a good while as Neal took in what Emma was telling him. They were both sitting on the couch, because Neal had to sit down. He was still trying to swallow the possibility of the broody, sullen teenager he and his wife befriended could very well be his only son. Emma had her arm around Neal, her eyes showing sympathy to what her husband was going through in his mind.

"Are you sure?" Neal asked, his voice shaking slightly. He wasn't all that sure he was ready for this to happen.

"It all fits," Emma said, guessing that she looked as scared as Neal did now. "He's adopted, he looks like us."

Neal ran his hand through his hair and stared down at the floor, still unable to process it all.

How could anyone be able to process something like this quickly?

The son that he didn't get to see, that he didn't even get to _hold_ when he was born, had been right in front of him for about a week.

Could that be why he trusted the kid so much? Why he and Emma wanted to befriend him? Why he wanted to befriend them? Could they have all subconsciously known that they were family?

"So what do we do?" Neal asked.

"There's only one thing we can do," Emma answered. "We have to tell him."

"_What?_" Neal's head immediately shot up. "You want to just go up to him and say, 'hey Henry, we're your biological parents'?"

"What else do we do? Just pretend that nothing ever happened? Just keep it all quiet?"

"I…" Neal knew that wasn't an option for him. For seventeen years, he was waiting for something like this to happen. He had dreamed of finally seeing his long lost son every day since he heard that he was a father. Neal would spend a fair amount of time daydreaming about what his son would be like now, and think of at least a hundred scenarios that involved their reunion.

But now that the chance was finally here, Neal couldn't feel anything but nervousness and fear.

"You're right," Neal sighed. "He deserves to know."

Neal put his arm around his wife, both of them grateful that now, unlike their time in prison, they had each other.

After that day, Neal swore that even if Henry got angry at him and Emma and cut them off from his life forever, he would always be there for the kid.

Neal would make sure that he would be the father that Henry deserved. A father that Neal had lost to darkness all those years ago.

* * *

"_What_?!" Henry shouted so loud that it silenced some of the other conversations going on the diner.

Emma and Neal didn't expect Henry's reaction to be any different.

When the couple entered the diner to see the teen waiting for them, they started the conversation like any other. Emma and Henry ordered a hot chocolate with cinnamon, Neal got a coffee, and they'd ask what he had against cinnamon in the first place. Henry would tell them about anything interesting happening around campus, and the shenanigans that his roommate Geoff was up to. Emma and Neal asked Henry what's new, they'd ask how his classes are, did he fail anything yet, just basically anything to stall the inevitable drop of the bomb.

Henry knew that something was up, despite their attempts to hide it. He saw how Neal would stare off into space, his eyes full of emotion, looking like his entire world just ended. And how Emma smiled at him, like he was a friend (or more like a son) that she hadn't seen in ages. Despite the oddness of the two adults, Henry didn't ask what was going on.

It was Emma who finally brought it up. Eventually, after their breakfast was finished and they were still chatting, she told him about how she had given birth to a child in jail. It took Henry a while for him to understand what she meant, until she said that it was seventeen years ago. It was pretty clear when he caught on.

"You're saying," Henry spoke with a quieter voice, but no less agitated from what he was just told. "That I'm your _biological son_?"

"You _might_ be," Neal said in a desperate attempt to calm the boy down. Apparently, it didn't work.

"I _might_ be," Henry repeated sarcastically. "Like that's supposed to make me feel better."

"Henry, calm down," Emma said. "I know that we just dumped this on you-"

"Ya think?!" Henry whispered loudly.

"Henry, let me finish," Emma sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. "We just put the pieces together last night. We don't even know if you really _are_ our son…but it all fits."

"What, you think that just because we both like cinnamon, I had to have come out of your-"

"Henry!" Neal shouted, attracting the attention of annoyed diner customers. "Henry," Neal said a bit more quietly. "Please calm down. We _think_ that you _might_ be our son. You look like us, you're seventeen, you're adopted-"

"This is ridiculous," Henry said angrily. "First of all, it doesn't matter if you guys are my birth parents, because I _have_ a family. I _have_ a mother. And she _isn't you_. And you gave me up. You _obviously_ didn't want me if you gave me away."

Henry could see how hard those words hit Emma and Neal. They tried to keep their faces impassive, but he swore that he could see tears watering in the woman's eyes. Though Henry was angry and confused, it tugged guiltily at his heart.

"Look," Neal spoke up to break the silence. "We can clear this all up if we get a blood test."

"Yes!" Henry immediately got up. "We can forget this crap if we just do that. Let's go."

"Now?" Neal asked. "Don't you have to go to class?"

"My next one isn't until noon," Henry snapped. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"I'm gonna have to get some hard drinks after this." Emma muttered as she got up.

* * *

Neither Emma nor Neal had ever liked being in their local medical facility. Their doctor was nice enough, but it was the waiting room they hated the most. The sheer silence of it was practically suffocating, as if you were waiting for your own execution. The only sound in the entire room was the tapping of Henry's impatient fingers on his knee as the boy was trying to calm his rattled nerves. The three were the only people in the room Emma and Neal sat in chairs next to each other, but Henry, still troubled with what was going on, sat a fair distance away from them.

They were waiting for the doctor to come into the room and announce what he had learned from the blood samples he had gotten from Emma, Neal, and Henry.

Emma was no less nervous than Henry, her hand seeking Neal's soon after they sat down. She was grateful that this time, when she was seeing her son, for the second time, Neal was there beside her. That she didn't have to go through this alone like she did seventeen years ago. When he put his arm around her or stroking her hand for comfort, Emma didn't take any of it granted for a single second.

Speaking of Neal, he was looking at Henry, the sadness that built up for seventeen years apparent in the man's eyes.

What Henry said earlier to had taken a toll on both of them. He told them that they meant nothing to him. All they could feel was sorrow for their son, and guilt in their hearts.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Henry was ashamed at what he had said. His birth parents had tried to reach out to him, and he practically spit in their faces.

But he was still angry. After Henry learned he was adopted, he would envision every day when his birth parents would come back to him, to save him from Regina. But, like the savior in his storybook that never came, neither did his birth parents. It was like him believing in the curse all over again. He believed something would happen, and when nothing did, he let it all go and moved on with his life.

And, because of the cruel bastard that life is, it happened. It happened all too late.

He knew that he shouldn't have taken it out on Emma and Neal. He shouldn't have judged them based on something that he hardly knew about.

But he was too angry to care. Too angry to care about anything but letting out all the hurt, anger, and pain he held in for so many years. Some that didn't even have anything to do with Emma, Neal, or the curse, rather than himself.

When the doctor finally came, the three people immediately got up in eagerness to hear the results.

"I have the results, and…" The doctor hesitated for just a few seconds, but for Henry, Emma, and Neal, it seemed like a lifetime.

"They came back positive."

_Aw crap._

"Henry is your son."

From the looks on their faces, it was apparent to the doctor that he should leave them to their family drama.

"Henry-" Neal started, but Henry cut him off.

"_Don't._" He refused to look the man in the eye. "Just don't, okay."

"Henry, listen to me-"

"_To what?_" Henry shouted. "What is there to listen to? You _didn't want_ me! You _gave me up_! There's _nothing_ to say!"

"_Henry_! _LISTEN TO ME_!" Emma was the one shouting now, either unaware or uncaring of the tears streaming from her eyes. She couldn't take this anymore.

"We didn't…I didn't want to give you up, okay? Neal didn't even know that you were born. He didn't know, he was in another prison. So don't take it out on him, alright?" Neal stared at the ground sheepishly, trying to suppress the pain of that memory.

"Fine," Henry said coldly. "So you were the one who decided to give me away. What difference does it make? Do you have any idea how much I wanted to meet you two? How much I kept wondering who my real parents are? Wondering why they gave me up?" Henry could feel tears pooling up in his eyes, but he didn't care. "My whole life is nothing more than having false hope, only to face disappointment. You think that now, I'd let you into my life? FORGET IT! I'm sick of all this shit!"

"_Henry_," Emma's voice was cracking now, showing the full extent of her emotion.

"I'm not gonna deal with this. I'm done." Henry said as simply as discussing the weather.

After he left, he ran. From what, he wasn't sure. From his parents, his past, his pain, he didn't know.

But he probably because he _did_ feel something for his parents.


	7. Chapter 6: Reunion

**So here it is, guys. I really think you'll like this chapter. I've got some bad news, though. Final exams are coming up, so I won't be able get much writing done until after next Friday. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can, though!**

**Guest- I'm happy you like it!**

**Guest- I know! );**

**killian-me- I'm glad I managed to capture such emotion! Thanks for your review!**

**Queen of Light- I know! But remember, family always finds each other! :)**

CHAPTER 6: REUNION

The slam of the door echoed throughout the dorm building, disturbing students from sleeping in, or studying.

Henry pounded his fists on the wall, growling in rage. He hadn't felt this angry since three years ago. He literally felt like he was being suffocated, as if he was drowning in his own pain. Henry grabbed the pillow on his bed, pressed it to his face, and screamed as loud as he could. He collapsed on the bed, almost on the verge of tears.

Why was this happening to _him_?

What had he ever done to deserve all of this?

_Why_?

"Rough day?"

Henry shut his eyes and inhaled deeply in irritation as he heard the obnoxious voice of his roommate.

"Not in the mood, Geoff."

Geoff winced at Henry's harsh tone. He always knew his roommate was a stiff, but this is the first time he had ever see him angry.

"You okay, buddy?" The smugness of his voice was gone, replaced with genuine concern. Geoff may have been irresponsible, annoying, and a smart-ass, he did really care about his friends. And dammit, he counted Henry as a friend.

"_I'm fine._"

"Hey, man, you know that I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but you know I'm here for ya. You can tell me anything." Gone was the carefree and snide expression. There was genuine sympathy in the thrill-seeker's eyes.

"Alright," Henry knew he was probably going to regret this, but he also knew that Geoff wouldn't relent until Henry opened up. And this time, he had nowhere else to go. "I met my birth parents."

"Really?" Geoff's brow shot up. "Dude, that's great!"

"No, it's not," Henry said sharply.

"How?"

"What do you mean, 'how'? They _gave me up_!"

"Okay, so, they're still your family."

Henry sneered. "What part of 'they gave me up' don't you understand! Why would I want _anything_ to do with them?"

"Well, why did they give you up? Did they tell you?"

"Uh…" Henry's anger instantly faded. He didn't know what to say, and all of a sudden, he was ashamed. He didn't give Emma and Neal a chance to speak. He didn't allow them a chance to explain why they gave him up.

"Well?" Geoff interrupted his roommate's thoughts.

"They, uh, didn't say."

"Well how can you exactly judge them when you didn't even know _why_ they gave you up?"

"Uh…" Henry's head dropped sheepishly. "Yeah…"

"You want some advice? Hear your parents out. Maybe they gave you up because they didn't want you, maybe for some other reason. If it was the first one, at least you'll know."

"Thanks Geoff," Henry said gratefully. "You're alright when you're not drunk or stoned."

"Don't you be telling anyone that! I've got a reputation, you know!"

* * *

Emma knew that she wasn't going to like this. But it had to be done. She wanted her son to know that she didn't give him up because she didn't love him. She wanted him to know that she gave him up because she did.

It took a while for her to find where Henry was. She knew he was living in the dorms, but it took a while of asking around, if they knew Henry. After about an hour, she finally found Henry's dorm.

She wished Neal was here. His presence would assure her, let her know that she didn't have to do this alone. Neal wanted to be here, he didn't want to be away from his son for a second. But Emma knew that she had to be the one to talk to Henry. She was the one who started all this, and she should be the one to end it.

Emma stood at the door to the dorm for a while before knocking.

No answer.

Emma knocked again. Every instinct she had told her that Henry was here.

"Henry?"

She was only met with silence.

"Henry, I know you're in there."

Silence.

"Henry, please. You don't have to say anything, just listen."

God, how she hated this silence.

"Henry, I know you're angry. You have every right to be. But I want you to know that I didn't give you up because I didn't love you."

_Please Henry. Just give me a sign that you're listening._

"I was in jail, with no money, nothing. I couldn't raise you in jail. My only option was to give you to the foster system. I-I couldn't let that happen to you, Henry. I grew up in the system…it was horrible. I didn't want that to happen to you. I…I just couldn't. I didn't want to give you up. But I had to. I had you adopted. I made sure that you'd go to someone who loved you."

Silence.

"Every day…since I gave you up, I kept wondering where you were. What you looked like, who raised you, what you were like, I…I never got over it. It broke Neal's heart, I mean, I at least got to hold you for a while, but he didn't get to see you," Emma could feel the warm prickle of tears threatening to fall as she mentally begged Henry to open the door.

Silence.

"You were so beautiful, Henry. When I held you, I didn't want to give you up. I never did. But I wanted you to have your best chance," tears finally fell at those last two words.

"I know you're there, Henry. And I know that you'll probably never forgive me. I understand that. My parents gave me up to. I just want you to know that I gave you up because I love you. Not because I didn't."

As if her prayers were answered, she felt the door shift slightly as there was the clicking of the sound of the door unlocking. When it opened, Emma saw the familiar face that, instead of being sullen, held a genuine smile.

There was so much Henry wanted to say to her. He wanted to apologize and say that despite knowing her for only about a week, he did love her. That he didn't mean anything he had said to her. But he didn't know where to begin.

So rather than try, he just used actions to replace his words, and just hugged his birth mother.

Emma at first was at first shocked at the hug, but immediately returned to gladly, and the tears she had held back finally spilled on her cheeks.

God, she had only dreamed of this. Meeting the son that she had lost.

In her eyes, her life was now complete.

* * *

Neal, unable to keep still, was now pacing his apartment so hard that he stopped for a while for fear that he'd drive a whole in it.

He wanted to come with Emma to talk to Henry. He wanted to be there for her, plus, he didn't want to spend any more time away from his son. But Emma insisted, and he could tell that she needed to do this. So, he stayed here, and prayed that Henry would find it in his heart to forgive his birth parents.

What Henry had said to him and Emma yesterday had taken a toll on them both. They had hardly said anything after they had gotten back to the apartment, but he knew that there was an emotional bomb in Emma that was waiting to go off. Neal may not have seen Henry when he was born, but Emma did, and that made her all the more attached to the kid. He knew that no matter how much he suffered from all this drama, he knew that Emma was suffering more.

Neal couldn't help but feel like his own father at this point. His own son had grown up without a father, like he had.

_Don't go there._ He thought to himself. _You're _nothing_ like him._

He would have gone against his own wishes and continued pondering on his life before he came to this world, but he heard a knock at the door. Hoping that it was Emma and Henry who have worked out their differences, Neal eagerly went over to the door and opened it. Instead of his beloved wife and long lost son, he saw an odd-looking man holding a wooden box.

"Are you Neal Cassidy?" asked the man.

"Yeah," Neal asked warily. He was sure that he never saw this man before. "Who are you?"

"My name's August," he said. Neal mentally told himself not to trust this guy, he had _liar_ written all over him. "I'm here to talk to you about your past, and your wife."

"What?" Neal asked, a bit defensively. "How do you know my wife?"

"I knew her when we were in the foster system. I was supposed to look after her."

"Well, seeing how she never spoke of you, you obviously did a bang up job, now please leave-" Neal was about to close the door, until August put his foot through it.

"Look, I know that I seem suspicious, but I need you to trust me."

"I just met you, man. I hardly trust you."

August's seemingly pleasant smile just widened. "Well, just take a look in that box then," He held up the box he was holding. "what you see in here will make you believe every word I say."

Neal hesitated for a moment. Every word this guy said was controlled, like he was putting on a show. He didn't like him at all, but it was only sheer curiosity that led him to say, "Fine." He opened the door, took the box from August, and opened it.

Neal half wished he didn't.

His jaw dropped as he took a good few minutes to take in the box's contents. The box had an old-fashioned typewriter, and on its paper were four words, typed clear as day.

_I know you're Baelfire._

"Alright," Neal said. "I'm listening."

August smiled. "Where do I begin…"

**I'm leaving you off with a cliffhanger! Mwah-ha-ha!**


	8. Chapter 7: Coming Home

**So, I'm back with the new chapter! **

**Guest- I know, right? The moments between Emma and Henry in the show make me teary!**

**killian-me- Sorry, but I have a thing for cliffhangers. Sue me. I'm glad you like this chapter so much. August will have an important part in what's coming.**

**Queen of Light 17- I originally added Geoff for comic relief, to be that crazy person in every good story we all know and love. Now, because of August, Neal knows about the curse, about where Emma came from, and about Storybrooke.**

CHAPTER 7: COMING HOME

"You seem happy, don't you?" Neal asked Emma while they were in the car.

Emma couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy.

Growing up in the foster system never really gave her many happy moments. Even though she jumped with joy when she got out of the system, it was short lived, because she had no place to go. The only time she had ever come close to how happy she is now was when she was with Neal. But after she gave Henry up and they got out of jail, there was always sadness apparent in the other's eyes, something that had marred almost all of their happiest times, even when they got married.

Emma thought she was as happy as she could have been when she met Neal. The two were able relate to each other in ways they never could with anyone else. She felt wholeness, like she had everything she needed. That feeling, though wonderful, was shattered when she had to give Henry up. She loved being married to Neal, but since then, she felt that the one thing that would make her feel true happiness was gone.

Until it strolled back into her life in the form of a teenage boy.

"Yeah," Emma gave a smile which her husband returned. "I am."

After she and Neal reconciled with Henry, things have gotten better for all three of them. Emma could see in Neal's eye that he felt the same happiness she was feeling. And Henry was opening up more to them. They were becoming like a little family.

An odd family, but a family nonetheless.

"Henry's a great kid," Neal said as they got out of the car. "He really is your son."

"_Our_ son," Emma corrected.

Since Henry had opened up more to his birth parents, Neal found it hard not to like the kid. Behind that sullen nature, there was a big heart. They both could only wonder how a kind person like Henry could have become so detached, but that was one of the few things he never spoke of.

After they had all reconciled, Henry had begun to tell Emma and Neal more about his life in Storybrooke. He talked about his adopted mother, the time he was in Mary Margaret's class, just about everything. Well, except maybe the curse. Henry did say that he had an obsession with fairy tales when he was younger, but he didn't tell his birth parents that he believed his entire town was filled with curse fairy tale characters.

When the couple walked in the diner, they saw Henry sitting at a booth, a mug of hot chocolate in front of him. He waved at his friends when he saw them, and they walked over.

"Hey guys," Henry said as they sat down.

"Hi Henry," Emma smiled.

"Hey buddy!" Neal grinned. Despite Henry's sullen attitude, he and Neal had become like two peas in a pod, always laughing and joking, talking about "guy stuff". They got along greatly, like the traditional father and son, as well as a habit for mischief. That's not to say that Henry didn't get along with his birth mother. He found that he liked talking to Emma a lot.

"Guys, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about," Henry said.

"Sure, what?" Emma replied.

"Winter break's coming up, and I'm gonna be going to my mom's," Henry desperately hoped that wasn't sadness he saw when he referred to Regina as his mom. Emma may have been Henry's biological mother, but dammit, Regina was his mother too, regardless of blood.

"I was…kind of hoping…" _god, this is going to be uber-awkward_, Henry thought.

"What?" Neal asked.

"That you could come with me."

The silence couldn't have been more awkward.

Emma finally spoke up. "You want us to come with you?"

"Uh…" Henry knew this was going to be difficult. But he just _felt_ that he needed to do this. "I just thought that it would be a good idea,"

Emma and Neal looked at each other for a while, having a silent conversation. It was something they'd do often, communicating through their facial expressions.

"I know, it's silly-" Henry began, but Neal cut him off.

"Sure."

"Huh?" Henry asked, a bit befuddled. Emma almost laughed at Henry's expression. Clearly, he thought that they'd refuse.

"We'd love to come with you." Henry's amusing expression soon turned into a smile.

"Really? Great!" He completed asking Emma and Neal. That was the easy part.

Now he just had to talk to Regina about it.

* * *

Henry was so nervous that his fingers trembled, almost making him dial the wrong numbers on his phone.

"Hello?" Henry heard his mother's stoic voice. He put his nervousness aside and finally spoke.

"Hey mom."

"Hi sweetie," the impassiveness instantly faded and was replaced with that warm, motherly tone. "How are things?"

"Pretty good," Henry said. They talked for a while. He asked how things are back at Storybrooke, how everyone is, and she asked how things are at the university, how his grades are, did he make any friends.

It was time to bring up the real reason he called.

"Mom, I've got something to tell you."

"What is it, Henry?"

"I met my birth parents."

_Real subtle._

Henry could hear the phone drop to the floor on the other end, and suppressed a laugh.

"You met your birth parents?" Regina finally asked when she came back to her senses and picked up the phone.

"Yeah," Henry began telling his mother everything, from meting them, to finding out he was their kid, to why they gave him up. He tried to make Emma and Neal seem good enough, but Henry knew that his mother would be wary of the two.

"I was wondering, if they could come with me when I come for winter break." There. He said it.

"Henry," Regina said. _Oh great_, Henry thought. _Here comes the strict I-know-what's-best-and-you-don't-voice_.

Henry hated that voice with a passion.

"These people gave you up-"

"They gave me up so I could have my best chance! So I could have a good life! Not because they didn't want me!"

"That doesn't change the fact that they made that decision."

"Look, mom," Henry began. "I know that you feel threatened by my birth parents coming here. And I get it. I just want the whole family to be together, and I want to know them better. I'm not trying to replace you with anyone, okay? I'm not trying to do that. Nothing changes the fact that _you_ are my mother. You raised me. _You_ are my mom. I just feel like I need to have Emma and Neal in my life."

There was more silence for a few minutes, until Regina finally spoke.

"Fine. I won't object if they come."

"Thanks mom," Henry said gratefully. That went better than he expected.

Henry couldn't quite explain it, but he felt a stirring in his soul. Like something big was happening.

**So Emma and Neal are on their way to Storybrooke! Whoohoo!**


	9. Chapter 8: Arrival

**Here's the next chapter! I'm really sorry it took this long. Since it's summer and school's out, I lost all sense of time and got lost in my own world. I'll try to bring the next one quicker.**

**Queen of Light 17- I'll make sure to include bits and pieces of Neal and August's conversation in future chapters.**

**Annika Sparks- ask and you shall receive!**

CHAPTER 8: ARRIVAL

_Finally_, Henry thought as the taxi passed the sign that said "Welcome to Storybrooke". The plane ride was long and boring, and they landed right when Henry was literally about to fall asleep. The teen needed to get back to the familiarity of his old room, lie on his bed, and go into a coma. But, Henry was taught to be polite to his guests, so sleeping would have to wait a while.

"So this is Storybrooke," Neal said as they drove into town. Henry never brought it up, but he swore that Neal was wracked with nervousness. He knew that it would be awkward for his birth parents to meet his adopted mother, but that didn't seem to be what was bothering him. Neal seemed almost hesitant to step out of the taxi, as if he didn't want to be seen.

"You okay?" Emma finally broke the ice and asked Neal.

"Yeah, just…" Neal trailed off, desperately hoping that she didn't suspect that it had anything to do with their son.

"Just what?"

"Just nervous about meeting them," Neal said. Emma was usually great at seeing lies, but she could hardly imagine what else he could be nervous about.

She thought he was nervous about meeting the people his son grew up with, while he was really nervous about just one in particular.

When August visited Neal, he told him everything. From his father casting the curse, to Emma's part in breaking it. It was a cruel bit of irony, at which Neal didn't know whether to laugh or to cry at. It was so ironic and bitter that the fact that they both came from the Enchanted Forest might be the reason why they were the only ones able to understand one another.

That didn't mean he didn't love Emma. He loved her with all his heart. He just wasn't sure if he would be able to love her if she _wasn't_ from the Enchanted Forest.

When they got out of the taxi, gathered their luggage, and got to Regina's front door, Emma could feel her heart race with anticipation and fear as Henry rang the doorbell. A flurry of questions raced through her mind. Emma kept wondering about the woman who raised Henry for seventeen years.

_What is she like?_

_Is she nice?_

_Was she good to Henry?_

_Will she resent me?_

_Will I resent her?_

The last two thoughts were a bit inevitable to happen, she thought. But Emma just wanted Henry to be happy, and if that meant that she would be civil to someone that she could very well end up hating, the so be it.

After what seemed like forever, a professionally dressed woman answered the door.

"Hey mom!" Henry grinned as he set his luggage on the floor.

"Henry!" Regina came forward to embrace his son. She hardly even noticed the two strangers who were awkwardly watching the scene.

When she pulled away, she looked over at Emma and Neal, and her face hardened into that usual, indifferent and informal mask of the mayor.

"Hi," Emma said, and held out her hand. "You must be Regina." She shook Emma's hand, but her expression didn't change.

"And you both must be Henry's…_biological_ parents," Regina said, in a calm, measured voice.

"Yeah," Emma forced herself to stay civil. "I'm Emma, and this is my husband Neal."

"Hey," Neal shook Regina's hand. "Henry said a lot about you."

"Did he?" Regina asked, but it hardly sounded like a question. "Funny, I only learned about you a few days ago." Henry chuckled nervously.

"That's kind of my fault," Henry said. _Please be nice to them,_ Henry mentally begged.

_Okay, maybe "nice" is too much. At least try to be civil._

"Well, please, come in," Regina told the three.

_God, oh god I hope this goes well_, Henry, Emma and Neal all hoped at the same time.

* * *

"Well she was pretty nice," Neal said sarcastically, to break the silence.

"Yeah, you can tell by the way she kicked us out," Emma replied, smirking.

They were on their way to Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Henry insisted that they stay with them, but they didn't want to impose, and they could all tell that Regina, though she stayed polite and courteous, and for Henry's sake, no doubt, that she didn't want the two staying in her house.

Though Emma wanted to get along with Regina, she didn't think that was possible now.

When they walked into the Bed and Breakfast, they saw that they walked in on a teenage girl and an old woman, who must have been Granny, arguing, and quite loudly. They turned to the couple, and quieted down, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh," said Granny. "Uh, can I help you?"

"Hi," Neal spoke. "We're here for a room, please?"

"Really?" Granny seemed surprised. Emma guessed that Storybrooke didn't get too many visitors. "Alright, great!" She moved to the front desk a bit too quickly and eagerly. "Names?"

"Neal and Emma Cassidy."

"Visitors?"

When Neal turned around, his blood turned to ice as he saw the face he both wanted to see for so long and never wanted to see again.

His father's skin had changed back from the scaly green to its natural coloring, his irises were brown instead of yellow, and he was dressed professionally, like a businessman. He changed physically, but Neal could see it in his father's eyes, the hunger for power and the evil intent.

He was still very much the Dark One, magic or no magic.

The same monster that abandoned him.

"Yeah," Emma said warily. Something in her gut told her not to trust this man.

She had no idea.

"It's right here," Granny said as she handed Gold a wad of money.

'Yes, of course it is," Gold muttered. He turned back to Emma and Neal "Well, you both enjoy your stay here." He took a satisfied look at Neal, who was frozen.

_Already afraid of me,_ Gold smiled as he turned away. _I've still got it. Even without magic._

"Neal?" Emma touched her husband's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Neal said as he was pulled back into reality. He saw that Emma was looking at him with concerned eyes, not exactly sure if he was really okay.

"Who was that?" Emma asked Granny. She wanted to know who that man was, the man who made Neal afraid. She had seen him at his worst, but she had never seen him as mortified as he just was.

"Mr. Gold," answered the teenage girl. "He owns the place."

"The inn?"

"No," Granny said. "The town." Emma wanted to ask more, but Granny spoke before she could, and handed them a key. "Here you are. Enjoy your stay in Storybrooke."

* * *

Henry collapsed on his bed, and ran his fingers through his hair.

_Well,_ he thought. _That was a disaster_

It didn't take a great judge of character to know that Regina already disliked, of not hated, Emma and Neal. Henry groaned. He should have seen this coming. His mother was a proud woman, and he should have known that she wouldn't like his birth parents.

He still wanted them all to like each other. Or at least _tolerate_ each other. He spent way too long waiting for his life to be whole again, and he was going to put the broken pieces back in any way he had to.

Henry was just a few seconds from falling asleep, until he heard the bell of the town's clock tower ringing, waking him up.

_Are you freakin serious?!_ Henry thought angrily._ I cannot catch a break-_

_Wait a minute._

_The clock tower _ringing_?_

Henry immediately got up, out of his drowsiness, and went over to his room window.

When he saw the clock tower, his jaw dropped.

It was 9:00.

9:00 in a town where time was frozen at 8:15.

"How…" Henry could hardly speak.

How was this possible?

Time was frozen here.

The Curse…

_The Book…_

Henry raced to the luggage in his room and ripped out his storybook. Feeling the leather binding brought back memories, some made Henry smile, but most of them brought him pain. But now wasn't the time for sentimental crap. With trembling fingers, he flipped through the pages, seeing pictures of the Evil Queen, Red Riding Hood, Prince Charming waking up Snow White with a kiss, until he got to the pages describing the Dark Curse. He read about how the Queen would cast the curse to take away Snow White's happiness, how Emma would come and break the-

_Emma._

"Oh god," Henry gasped and rubbed his temples. "You've gotta be joking."

Emma came here, and the clock that was frozen Henry's whole life started again.

_My biological mother is the Savior._

Henry fell back on his bed and groaned, frustrated, irritated, and just plain pissed off.

_Fate really is one sick, twisted son of a bitch._

* * *

The only sounds in the hospital was the beeping of the machines many of the patients were hooked up to. It was late at night, and all the staff had left. The security guard Walter was sleeping on the job, again.

A man lay on one of the hospital beds, in a deep coma. He's been there for as long as anyone could remember. Most of the hospital staff doubted that he'd wake up. He never showed any signs that he ever would. Imagine how disturbed and shocked they would be if they saw his eyes shoot open.

The man sat up, and winced in pain from the needles he was hooked up to. He immediately pulled them out, and stared at them curiously, like he had never seen them before. Getting out of the bed, he nearly fell to the floor as he realized how physically weak he was. But with fiery determination, he managed to get himself on his feet and walk to the closest door, leading into a deep, dark forest.

Only one thought burned in the former prince's mind.

_Find her…_

_Find her…_

**So, Emma's in Storybrooke, Neal saw Gold, the Clock's moving again, and Charming woke up! I'll see you all in my next update!**


	10. Chapter 9: Operation Cobra

**Here we are, with the new chapter! For those of you who are still sticking with the story, and this chapters dedicated to you. Things are really going to thicken here, we're going to get introduced to some characters that we all know and love, and Henry's going to try and find out how to break the curse!**

**90's Kai- I know right? Lol. I'm glad that could inspire some laughter!**

**Queen of Light 17- You'll see what happens next, and I promise you won't be disappointed!**

CHAPTER 9: OPERATION COBRA

"So you want me to help you break the curse?" Regina asked, sitting at her office desk, with Henry in a chair opposite of her.

"In a nutshell, yeah."

It took a while for Henry to muster up the courage to actually face his mother about this. Ever since the day he left, neither of them had brought up the Curse. Regina admitting the fanatical claims of a young boy were true was a closed topic for both of them, and they acted like it never happened.

Until of course few minutes ago, when Henry came to visit his adopted mother while she was working. He didn't want to bother her, but he needed to get it out while he still had the lack of good sense to even bring it up.

"Henry, you do realize that if those people remember, they'll remember…" Regina trailed off a bit. "They'll remember who I am and what I did. There's no telling what they might do. They might…they might kill me." She let that sink in for a moment, for both her and Henry. "Do you want that?"

"No," Henry said insistently. "Never." Before he could go on, Regina continued.

"We have a good enough life as it is, Henry. You're in College. You're in the process of making a wonderful future for yourself. Why would you ever want to let that go?"

"Because it's a lie!" Henry got up from his seat and began shouting. "Because this isn't real! This entire town is built on a lie! What's more, I'm the _only _one who gets older! And no one notices! All my friends are the same age now as when I was two! What's going to happen when I'm old, huh? What's going to happen when I'm _in my grave_, and everyone's just living life as they've always been?!"

Henry calmed himself, and sat back down.

"Why do so many people have to suffer? Why does everyone here have to go on like this? I don't know how long the Curse has gone, but hasn't it gone on long enough?" Regina wouldn't meet her son's eyes, but he continued.

"Please, Mom. If not for everyone else, then for me."

"Please."

They both sat in the room, drowning in the crushing silence.

* * *

Emma had to admit, the hot chocolate here wasn't that bad. She guessed Granny's Diner had time to perfect their recipe with Henry's love of cinnamon. She kept telling Neal he was missing out, but he insisted on coffee.

It had been just two days ago when they arrived. They didn't meet much people, except some of Henry's friends. It seems he wasn't kidding when he said that very few of his friends were his own age. They met Archie, Ruby, Granny, and Graham. Archie talked a bit about his sessions with Henry, as he felt that they had the right to know, and hoped that his birth parents could help him move on from the past. He didn't reveal too much, for the sake of confidentiality, and so that Henry could open up to his parents.

Emma and Neal had missed so much, and it made them feel horrible.

"Excuse me?" came a meek voice. Emma turned to see a young woman. "Are…you Henry's parents?"

"Uh, yeah," Neal said, unsure of who this person was or how she knew about them.

"I'm Mary Margaret. I used to be Henry's 4th Grade teacher."

"Oh, yeah," Neal said. "Henry mentioned you, he said you were only teacher he had that he liked!" Mary Margaret laughed a bit at that. God, she dearly missed the days Henry was in her class. He was the only student she ever had that had such an amazing imagination. Mary Margaret shook hands with the couple. They offered the teacher to sit down, and sat in the booth next to Emma.

"It's great to meet you two," Mary Margaret Blanchard said. "Henry's said a lot about you."

"Really, like what?" Emma asked.

"He said you would have made good parents," she said sympathetically. This alone made Emma and Neal's day.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you two about Henry. For the last few years, he's been, well…"

"Yeah," Emma said with understanding. She saw that Henry was a sullen kid, but they only realized how bad it was when Archie talked to them. "Dr. Hopper talked to us about it, yesterday." Mary Margaret nodded, looking down for a moment.

"There's something I feel you both should know, about Henry," Mary Margaret began. "Ever since he was ten, Henry's…loved fairy tales." She didn't want to use the word "obsessed". Mar Margaret saw them nod, and spoke on. "But not in the usual way. He, well…thought that everyone in town was a fairy tale character."

Emma didn't say anything, adding to the awkward silence. Neal, though, looked a bit interested. Mary Margaret took note of this and asked, "Has he told you about this?"

"No," Emma said. "He said he liked fairy tales when he was younger, but not…"

"Yes, well, when he finally moved on, he was devastated, and he's never been the same since." Neal's interested expression quickly matched Emma's, one of sadness and sympathy for their long lost son.

"I wanted you to know why he is…like he is," Mary Margaret said carefully, not wanting to offend them. They didn't look offended, so she went on. "It's not really my place to say this about him, but you _are_ his parents. I know you want to help him, and I wanted you to know so you can."

"Thanks Mary Margaret," Neal said solemnly.

"This means a lot," Emma said, equally sincere.

"I'm glad to help. Henry's like  
family" Mary Margaret said, blissfully ignorant of the truth of what she said.

* * *

"It's been a long time," Regina said as she turned to the man, who was now wallowing in his own madness. "Jefferson. I'd say you look well, but I'd be lying. You're a bit on the mad side."

The Mad Hatter sneered at the Evil Queen as he pulled out a card with a white rabbit on it. Regina knows that she could have placed any sort of playing card on Paige's bicycle and Jefferson would know what it meant. But she knew that the rabbit card would be an "up yours" to him.

"You know I watch her," Jefferson said, his voice icy.

"I needed to speak with you." Regina's mocking smile widened when Jefferson scoffed.

"What makes you think that I won't kill you after everything you've done?"

Regina smirked. "Because you don't have it in you," she said sardonically. "Otherwise you would have done it long ago," She picked up a wine filled glass and offered it to Jefferson, who, with his still-hardened expression, placed the rabbit card in the glass.

Another "up yours", it seems.

"Get to the point," Jefferson snarled. "What do you want?"

"Hm," Regina snorted. "It seems that for once in a very long time, we have the same goal."

"Which is?"

"The Curse. Broken."

Jefferson, though hiding behind his mask of hatred and coldness, could hide his confusion.

Regina cast the Curse for the sole purpose of having power over everyone in the Enchanted Forest. For most of the time he knew her, everything she did was for the sake of power. Every realm she paid him to take her to, every magical object he'd "collect" for her, was for power and control. That was the only goal of the Evil Queen. That was what she lived for, and that was what she did.

And now she wanted to give it all away? This must be far too good to be true.

"Why would you ever want to do that?" Jefferson asked.

"Does it matter?" Regina wasn't prepared to share anything with the man. "The point is, that if the Curse breaks, you'll be reunited with your beloved daughter. And that's what you want, isn't it?"

"Fine," the Hatter tried to hide his anticipation. "What do we have to do?"

* * *

Henry always preferred hiking in the woods bordering the town rather than walking the streets. Sure, the bugs were a pain in the ass, but the songs of the birds and the quiet breeze blowing through the trees were more favorable than horns honking. Plus, the air was far fresher, free of the foul smell of gasoline and cigarette smoke. Usually, he took walks to clear his head and get his mind off of all the bullshit in his life. But today, he was walking to calm himself down from the kind of excitement and childlike giddiness that he hadn't felt in years. When he was younger, and when he dreamed of Emma finally coming to town to break the Curse, he made plans on getting everyone to remember. Operation Cobra, he called it. Of course, after he let it all go, he never gave it any thought again.

Until now.

Ideas began forming in his head about how to get people to remember at lightning speed. Maybe if he knew where Prince Charming was, he could try to get him and Mary Margaret back together. With Granny and Ruby, he could attempt to get them to be more civil with each other, but how was he going to do that? Ashley and Sean, aka, Cinderella and Prince Thomas, were already back together, so with Emma's presence, they should start remembering pretty soon. The same for Ava and Nicholas and their dad. Marco was a handyman, not all that different from what he did in the Enchanted Forest, but maybe Pinocchio's presence could help, wherever the puppet-turned-boy was.

The Book would help. Yes, his old storybook can let him learn more about everyone, about their past and most of all, how to use their pasts to get them to remember. Henry was confident that he could work through it all, he had no doubt. There was just one problem.

How was he supposed to get Emma to believe?

In every single fantasy story he knew of, Henry found there was a constant factor that connected all stories; the hero never believed at first, whether it was about magic, or about themselves. Getting Emma to believe would be the hard part.

Suddenly, a hand shot out from behind a tree Henry was about to pass, and covered Henry's mouth so he wouldn't scream. Another hand was wrapped around his torso to keep him from squirming. Henry tried to scream, tried to get out of his attacker's grip, but he was too strong.

"Calm down," came a man's voice that Henry assumed was the attacker. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Henry swiftly lifted his foot backwards and hit the man's groin with a satisfying sound. The attacker cried out, and his hands went to his crotch, as if that would somehow soothe the pain out of his crushed holiest of holies.

"What the fuck!" Henry swore, getting a good look at his attacker, ready for a mad dash through the forest if necessary. The man didn't seem to be armed, and was dressed in a tattered hospital gown that was stained with brown, both from blood and dirt.

"Please, calm down," The man said, still bending in pain. "I'm not your enemy."

"You sure make that clear by trying to mug me!"

"I was not! I need answers."

"Answers?" Henry asked, confused.

"The Curse hit, and I still remember who I am."

"Wait, the Curse?" Henry quickly went from terrified, to angry, to confused, and now excited. "You remember?"

"Yes," The man's pain subsided as he stood up straight. Despite his clothes, he stood tall and proud, like a king.

"Who are you?"

"My name's James."


	11. Chapter 10: Heartbreak

**I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long.**

**TJtrack99- yeah, the story's different with Neal there. As for James, that's his name as a prince (not his twin brother), and in my story, the persona of David Nolan is nonexistent. So there won't be any of the drama we saw in the show. I'm replacing it with new drama!**

**HollyBlood98- yup, the plot's beginning to thicken. I say that too many times, but it's true!**

CHAPTER 10: HEARTBREAK

"Wait, wait, wait," Henry said. "James as in Prince Charming James? James as in the wife of Snow White, and Emma's dad?" Henry realized it now. He looked just like the Prince Charming picture in his book.

"Yes," James said suspiciously. Who was this boy? How did he know who he was if the Curse took away everyone's memory? And why were his eyes so suspiciously like Snow's? "How do you know of me? I thought the Curse took our memories…" He trailed off, then his eyes widened. "Is the Curse broken?" He demanded. "Is Emma here?"

"Uhhhh," Henry had to process this. He didn't really think about this until now. If Emma, his mother, was Snow White's and Prince Charming's daughter, then this man was his grandfather. Hell, he was younger than Emma! He wasn't even old enough to be _Henry's_ _father_, let alone _grandfather_!

"You obviously know who I am," James said sternly. "Then you know I am a prince. And as your prince, I order you, to tell me where my daughter and my wife are!"

"Okay! Calm down!" Henry shouted. James' impatient and threatening expression didn't help calm his nerves.

_God, how am I going to explain this?_

* * *

"Okay, what's eating you?" Emma asked.

"Hm?" Neal asked as the two entered their room and Granny's.

"You've been looking over your shoulder like someone's following you. You're acting jumpy," Emma said as she held Neal's hand. "C'mon Neal, talk to me." Emma's been meaning to ask about this ever since their first day at Storybrooke. She first thought it was just about Henry, but her instincts told her it was deeper than that.

What was he supposed to tell her? That the father that abandoned her had magically crossed worlds into this one? Mr. Gold hardly looked old enough to look like his father.

"I've…just been thinking a lot about how my dad left me," Neal said. It wasn't the whole truth, but not a lie either.

Emma's eyes immediately filled with sympathy, and she pulled Neal into an embrace. They didn't say anything. They didn't need to.

Neither of them talked about their parents, as it was a serious soft spot for them both. Neal never went into great detail about how his dad gave him up. Only that he abandoned him when he was fourteen, because he chose wealth and power over his son. Emma never knew her parents. She never knew what they were like, and never had a chance to love them. Neal loved his father for fourteen years of his life, and that was what made it all so sad.

Regardless of their situations, they both knew about the heartbreak of abandonment.

It was no wonder why Neal felt so guilty over missing so much of Henry's life. In some ways, it made him feel like his own father. Emma knew that.

"You're nothing like him, you know," Emma told him. "You didn't make the choice to leave Henry. As long as you didn't, then you're _nothing_ like your dad. Don't you forget that." Neal appreciated the sentiment, and those words gave him great comfort, but that wasn't mainly what he was worried about.

Neal _hated_ that he had to keep secrets from Emma. He wanted her to know everything about him.

And he was sure she would eventually, now that he knew her destiny.

Neal knew it was a matter of time before August himself would to come to Storybrooke. It wasn't exactly every day Pinocchio came to your doorstep and told you that your monster of a father created a curse that your wife was destined to break.

Not only that, but knowing that your only son knew about the Curse and everyone just took him for a kid with too much imagination?

That right there was a real awkward moment.

Neal knew he would have to talk with Henry about it all. Even if Henry had let it all go, Neal would be there for his son.

He would never let Henry go.

* * *

"Charming," Regina said, not sure whether she was sarcastically describing the situation, or greeting her old enemy. Probably both.

"Regina," James said, equally hostile, glaring defiantly at her.

Henry, though still shaken from having his grandfather mug him, was excited that he found one of the first people in Storybrooke that remember. The teen filled the awakened prince in on what happened. Basically, that his wife, Snow White was still cursed, not even knowing she's married. His daughter's thirty-six years old, older than he himself is. Henry was sympathetic to the prince, he couldn't imagine any of that was like, but if there was one thing he knew, it was heartbreak.

It was quite a shock to James, knowing that not only did he have a grandson, but his grandson was adopted by the very woman that intended to kill him and his wife. James' initial reaction was that it was a lie, but he knew those eyes anywhere. He had only ever seen them on two people; his wife, and his newborn daughter.

When Henry suggested that they go to his mother, but James immediately disagreed. He thought that the only reason he would ever be in the Evil Queen's presence was if she was about to behead her. But Henry managed to convince James that she actually had wanted to help break the Curse.

"It's been a while," Regina said mockingly.

"Nowhere near long enough," the prince never even tried to hide behind mocking jokes or an emotionless mask. He put all his hatred out there.

"Guys," Henry said, not wanting there to be violence. "We all have a common goal; we want to break the Curse. James," Henry felt weird calling his grandfather by his first name, but then again, it would be even weirder calling a man who wasn't even ten years older than him "grandpa". _James will have to do then_, he guessed. "I know you and my mom hate each other. But she wants to break the Curse too. So if we just work together, you can be reunited with Emma and Snow." James' face immediately softened at mention of his wife and daughter, but hardened again when Regina spoke.

"My son's right," Regina put possessive emphasis on "my son". "So will you act with an ounce of intelligence for once, and at least try to be civil, will you?"

"Fine," the prince's voice cut like the edge of his sword. "What do we have to do?"

"Well, seeing how your daughter's the one who'll break the Curse, _we_ don't have to do anything in that respect," Regina started. "I'm not sure how she'll break the Curse, all I know is that she'll be the one to do it. But, what we _do_ need to do is make your daughter believe."

"What do you mean _believe_?" James asked. Henry took this one.

"See, in this world, everything that happened in the Enchanted Forest was just a story, just myths. No one believes that they're true."

"So," Regina spoke again. "All we need to do is show her that the stories are true."

James thought things were complicated as is. His daughter was older than him, his wife had fake memories, and the Evil Queen herself raised his grandson, and now his entire life in one world was nothing more than stories and tales in another? Could things get any more difficult?

"We already have another ally," Regina said. "His name is Jefferson, though you probably know him better as the Mad Hatter, Henry."

Henry's eyebrows shot up. So Emma was going to break an evil curse with the help of the Evil Queen, her prince father who was younger than her, her long lost son, and the Mad Hatter?

If only he could go back in time and tell his fourteen year old self that life _does_ get better!

"He remembers?" Henry asked excitedly.

Regina nodded. "His Curse _was_ to remember."

"Alright," James spoke up. "We'll just have to find a way to get her to believe." He turned to Henry. "Henry, could you excuse us for a moment?"

Several red flags went up in Henry's head. Was he going to leave his mother alone with someone who wanted her blood? He read that Prince Charming was supposed to be a good guy, but he wasn't as naïve as he was when he was ten. He knew that people could change, and things that James had gone through would definitely change someone.

James obviously saw the worry on the boy's face, and said, "Don't worry, I promise I won't hurt her."

"It's alright Henry," Regina said. James was surprised to see the love Regina showed to her adopted son. He never thought the Evil Queen could love anyone but herself.

Henry finally left, and James' expression turned to one of cold, emotionless rage.

"Listen to me," James said, his voice cold as iron, and twice as hard. "I don't trust you. I never have, and I never will. You are the reason I was separated from my wife. My daughter grew up without her parents because of _you_. But Henry is my grandson, and I trust him. I'll tolerate you for now. But make no mistake, if you double-cross me, or hurt him, Snow, or Emma, I _will_ kill you. I regret not having you killed all those years ago. Betray me, and I won't make that mistake again."

Regina gave an arrogant smirk "Well, I look forward to our inevitable struggle, _Charming_," James' nostril's flared. Snow had lovingly called him that in the past, but when Regina said it, it was the equivalent of spitting on her memory.

"Don't forget, you don't have magic in this world," James said threateningly. "If it comes down to that, I'll have the advantage."

Regina just smiled, still mockingly, but she knew he was right. The exchange of threats on her part was just for show, of course. Just a way to hide weakness. This man, though a fool she would dearly love to crush, was important to Henry, and as disgusting the though sounded to her, that automatically meant he was family.

Henry's newfound lineage was quite a shock to the mayor, though. The woman who ruined her life, who destroyed the one person she loved the most, who Regina destroyed an entire world to get back at, was the biological grandmother of her adopted son. That didn't make her love Henry any less though. Definitely not.

But it certainly didn't mean she hated Snow White any less either.

**So there you have it. I know Charming's a bit darker, but wouldn't you be pissed off if your wife didn't know who you were, your daughter was older than you, and your grandson was raised by your worst enemy?**

**Anyway, if you've stuck with the story this far, please review. They mean a lot.**


	12. Chapter 11: Family

**So I'm back! This chapter's going to be really interesting, I promise you! What's going to happen? Well, read and find out!**

**ThePerfectionYouAimFor- I'm glad you like my teen Henry! And I've always preferred Gremma personally, but I figured that Swanfire would be more appropriate.**

**Queen of Light 17- Yup, Charming's back and he's pissed! But I don't think she has anything to worry about, seeing how she's trying to redeem herself for Henry.**

**ElleMZ- Yeah, the circumstances in which Charming woke up, he's definitely darker.**

**90's Kai- That scene will be coming up soon, though for the plot's sake, I don't want to say how soon! :) I'm glad I decided to keep James too. The angst between David and Mary Margaret is pure gold, but it really wouldn't help in my story much at all.**

CHAPTER 11: FAMILY

The locks to Emma and Neal's room fumbled, breaking the silence of the empty room. They clicked before unlocking, opening the door to not reveal Emma or Neal, but Mr. Gold.

The pawnbroker crept across the room, making sure that his cane only barely touched the floor as to make as little noise as possible. His eyes scanned the room with eyes like a hawk, searching for any little clue that could tell him about this mysterious Neal Cassidy.

Gold was irritated beyond belief. Not only did Emma arrive in Storybrooke almost a decade later than she was supposed to, but someone else had come along with her. Someone he didn't predict, someone he didn't see in his vision. Neal might not be anyone of importance, since his presence wasn't the only thing that he got wrong, but Gold saw the look in the man's eyes when he met him. It wasn't just fear. The man _knew_ Gold somehow. He knew who he was. The pawnbroker had only ever seen a look of fear like that when he was known by the name Rumplestiltskin.

Neal Cassidy wasn't just an unpredicted variable, which was a danger to his plans. He was someone who _knew_ who Gold was.

Also, Gold had to assume that anything else that was predicted could go wrong as well. If he got Emma's arrival wrong, then there was no telling what else could go wrong. Maybe the Curse would never break. Maybe he would never leave Storybrooke.

Maybe he would never find his son.

Forcing such thoughts out of his head, Gold continued to search for any clues regarding Neal Cassidy. He walked over the couple's luggage sitting on the floor across from the bed. Opening the bags, he skimmed through the contents and saw nothing more than some clothes. Not satisfied with the findings, Gold unzipped all the bag's pockets and emptied them out, but the most he found was some loose change and plane tickets.

In the last pocket, Gold fished out not quarters and dimes, but a piece of paper, folded up to the point where it could fit in the palm of your hand. Eagerly, Gold unfolded it, prepared for any bit of information one slip of paper could give.

Or so he thought.

Gold's jaw dropped, as did the paper from his hands when he read those four words.

_I know you're Baelfire._

Hardly believing what it said, Gold picked up the paper and read it a second time to make sure he wasn't reading it incorrectly. A third time.

His son, the one he had destroyed entire worlds for, the one he had damned his soul to the darkest darkness for, was here.

"_Oh Bae…_"

Gold wasn't sure whether to be joyful or sorrowing.

* * *

Henry sat at the counter at Granny's, thanking Ruby as she placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him. He drank it gratefully as he contemplated everything that was going on right now.

Not only did he have to deal with his birth parents meeting his adopted mother, but he also finding a way to get her birth mother to break a fairytale curse.

Regina, Henry, Charming, and Jefferson had met together and discussed how they should break the Curse. Henry knew that Emma would be the one to do it, but he didn't know how. He suggested that they work for now on getting her to believe. Jefferson suggested that he kidnap her, but that idea stopped as soon as it started, with insistence from Henry and threats from Charming. Charming suggested that they just show Emma magic and then she'll believe, but Regina said that there was no magic in this world, and even if there was, she'd need to believe to see it first, so that was out of the question. Jefferson said that Emma _had_ to have magic, since she got the town clock moving again, but Regina retorted that Emma didn't even know that.

The group parted, nowhere closer to getting Emma to break the Curse. Charming was staying in a trailer deep in the woods, seeing how it wasn't a good idea for him to be near town. Everyone knew that the John Doe at the hospital was missing, and if they found him claiming to be a fairytale prince, they'd lock him away. Henry suggested that he stay with him and Regina, but neither Charming nor the former Evil Queen thought it was a good idea. So, they sent Henry's grandfather to a trailer in the woods, with some supplies, clothes, and food.

Henry just stared at his mug with almost a vicious intensity, now half empty.

How the hell was he going to do this? Even with Emma in town and a his mother, Prince Charming, and the Mad Hatter on his side, he was just as close to breaking the Curse as he was when he was ten.

"That mug's probably gonna break if you stare at it any longer."

Henry turned to his right to see a man sitting at the counter next to him. He didn't look familiar. He was probably not from Storybrooke.

"So you're Henry," the man says. There something about the tone of his voice, it was calm and measured, almost as if every word he's saying is rehearsed.

"Yeah," Henry said suspiciously. "How do you know my name?"

"Everybody in town here knows you," the man smiled pleasantly. "You're pretty famous for that storybook you used to carry around."

"It's just a book," Henry said defensively. No one ever brought up Henry's obsession with fairytales unless they wanted to mock him.

"Take it easy buddy," the man said. "Just trying to be neighborly." Henry went back to drinking his hot chocolate, deliberately ignoring the stranger.

"It's not just a book, you know," the man said, breaking the precious silence.

"What?" Henry asked testily. He was beginning to find this man to be quite annoying.

"You said it's just a book. I think we both know that's not the case."

Henry began to have a weird feeling. Could this man know that it's real? Who was he? How did he know?

"What do you know about my book?" Henry asked carefully.

"I know it's a collection of stories," he said.

"Aren't all books?"

The man's smile slowly widened. "Stories that really happened."

Henry's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "You know the book's real?"

"As real as I am," the man nodded.

"Are you from…_over there_?" Henry didn't exactly want to say "Enchanted Forest" in a public place, but he got the feeling this man was from there.

"Yeah, I am," the man clearly was amused from the teen's obvious excitement, but Henry was too eager to be offended.

"Who are you?" Henry asked. For a second, Henry thought he saw the man's mask break.

"Not really important now," the man brushed it off. "My name's August, and what matters is why I'm here."

"Why _are_ you here then?"

"Let's just say, I'm a believer. And I want to help others see the light."

"But I already believe," Henry said confused.

"Yeah," August grinned. "I'm not here for you, buddy. I'm here for Emma."

"You want to get her to believe."

"Exactly."

"Me and my mom are already working on that. My _adopted_ mom, that is," Henry said. All good sense told him not to trust August, he had liar written all over him. But he needed all the help he could get. If this man knew how to get Emma to believe, then Henry had no choice _but_ to trust him.

August looked genuinely confused. "The Queen?"

"Yeah…" Henry said sheepishly. "She wants to break the Curse now."

August didn't look at all convinced, so Henry added, "We've got others to help too. I know you don't trust my mom, but I _know_ her, and she _really_ _is_ trying to become good again."

August studied Henry for a moment before talking again. "Alright. Who else do we have?"

Henry filled August in on everything. He seemed to already know a lot, which only made Henry more suspicious of the man.

"Okay, I've told you everything," Henry said when he was finished. "Now tell me, who are you, really? Who were you…_over there_? Why do you want the Curse to break?"

August started forward for a second, an unreadable emotion passing his face. "Let's just say," August said without his gaze moving an inch. "I'm trying to right a few wrongs."

* * *

Mary Margaret walked through the streets, unaware that she was being watched by her husband.

Charming made sure to remain inconspicuous. He knew that there were people looking for him, but one of the many skills he accumulated when fighting against King George's and Regina's armies was to stay unseen, even when in plain sight. But all worries of being sighted immediately faded away when he saw Snow.

Or Mary Margaret as she was now known here, according to Henry.

Charming lost himself as he gazed at his wife. She was in clothes he guessed was usual in this world, her hair was much shorter, but she was no less beautiful.

What made Charming want to scream was that Snow, his dear, beloved Snow, didn't know who he was.

She didn't remember how they met, how she robbed him, the many times they had found each other, their wedding, or Emma's birth.

She didn't remember their daughter. She didn't know they had a grandson.

"_Snow_…" Charming just breathed her name, like it was the most natural thing in the world for him. Like just saying her sweet name would alleviate his pain.

Why did this happen? What had either of them ever done to deserve this?

* * *

Henry walked out of Granny's Diner, his excitement instantly fading away as he saw Mr. Gold standing outside.

"Hello Henry," he said, smiling pleasantly. It was clear that the pawnbroker was waiting outside for the teen, not because he wanted to intimidate the passersby.

"Mr. Gold," Henry said as briefly as possible, trying to keep conversation at a minimum. He had no intention of being in the man's presence for any time, which of course, was likely to be disregarded.

"I need to talk to you, if that's alright with you," Gold said, the last part only for the sake of politeness.

"What is it?" Henry asked. He tried his hardest not to let his nervousness and fear show. Nothing good ever came out of Mr. Gold wanting to talk to you.

"Do you recall how you helped Ms. Boyd when she owed me her baby?" Mr. Gold asked.

"Yeah," Henry's voice was steady, but he already didn't like where this was going.

"And it all resulted in you owing me a favor?"

"Yeah," Henry said again, hoping he wasn't a pale as he felt. He could feel his flesh get colder as realization dawned upon him, as the day he hoped would never come.

"Well," Gold gave an impish smile. "I'm here to collect that favor."

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!**

**So, August is in Storybrooke, there's a bit of Snow/Charming angst, and Gold's collecting his favor!**


	13. Chapter 12: Sins of the Fathers

**Here she is! Sorry it took so long. I've been caught up with some personal drama, as well as classes starting. I do my best to update as soon as I can. This one's longer, because a LOT of stuff happens! The Title should say all! :)**

**By the way, I changed the title to "I WOULD Have Loved You All My Life", because that's a line from "Losing Your Memory", by Ryan Star, and for a while I thought it was "could" instead of "would".**

**PS: how do like the cover picture for the story? It's a scene from the movie version of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".**

**PPS: I know that Emma doesn't have a huge part so far, but I made this fic to be mainly Henry-centric. Don't worry, Emma's role will come soon enough.**

**Once Upon a Faerytale- thanks! I always wondered what a teenage Henry would be like. I hope the show lasts long enough for Henry to go into his teens, or at least close, just to see what it's like. And honestly, I'm more of a Gremma shipper, but I figured that Swanfire would be more appropriate.**

**Queen of Light 17- I know, I hope I made that Charming/Snow scene angsty enough!**

CHAPTER 12: SINS OF THE FATHERS

_Aw shit._

That was the only thought Henry could really think right now, and would likely say if he were speaking. Those two words filled the silence in his mind, and he had no doubt that Gold knew that Henry knew he was royally (no pun intended, because he was of royal blood, being the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming) _screwed_.

When he still read his storybook like it was the Bible, Henry would always read how the heroes got themselves into deals with Rumplestiltskin, which never ended well for anyone other than the dark wizard himself. If there was one thing Henry learned from the book, the Dark One never made a deal with someone unless it suited him. Henry had a feeling that a lack of magic in this case wasn't going to make things any less dangerous on his part.

Mr. Gold, hiding behind that usual smirk, took a while to really look at Henry for once, and realized just how much he looked like Bae. Same brown hair, almost the exact facial features, the only difference Gold saw were his skin tone and eyes. Henry's skin was paler than Bae's, and while his son had chocolate brown eyes, Henry had Emma's hazel eyes. It didn't hurt the boy's case either that there was always something at the back of the pawnbroker's mind that comparing Henry to Bae. That was of course when Henry was younger, and much less depressing than he was now. Back then, Henry had such a glint of innocence in his eyes that Gold had only ever seen on his son.

His son, who was now almost as old as _he_ was.

"Are you done mentally wetting yourself Henry, or can I explain what my favor is?" Gold asked snidely as Henry was pulled back into reality.

"Fine," Henry gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"

"I want you to get your father to talk to me."

"Huh?!" Henry couldn't have heard that right. Gold wanted Neal to talk to him? His father had just come to town. What could Gold possibly want with him?

"You heard me correctly. I want you to get your father, Neal Cassidy, to talk to me."

Henry began to worry, not for himself anymore, but for his father. "What do you want with my dad?"

"That's of no concern of yours-"

"If it concerns my father, then it concerns _me_, Gold," Henry snapped, his eyes defiant. He wasn't going to let anyone he loved get into trouble, and _especially_ not while he could help it.

"What I want with him is strictly between myself and Mr. Cassidy," for a moment, Henry could have sworn there was something else in the man's eyes besides smugness.

"Tell me what you want with him," Henry insisted.

"That's not part of the deal," Gold said, his pleasant tone indicating a warning. "You'll pay me back the favor you owe me by getting your father to talk to me. Any time will suffice, the sooner the better." Gold turned to hobble away, but turned his head slightly before crossing the street. "Don't forget dearie, what _happens_ to those who break deals with me. I've a feeling you know better than most in this town."

* * *

The sound of the shower coming the bathroom was the only sound in the room. Neal hardly heard anything else as he just lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, his mind echoing in a mantra, _"What the hell am I going to do?"_

There was a knock on the door that finally gave Neal the incentive to get out of his state and off of the bed. He opened the door to see his teenage son, and just like that, all of Neal's worry faded away.

"Hey buddy!" Neal contemplated for a moment, how amazing it was that the simple presence of a loved one could lighten his spirits and ease his anxiety.

Neal couldn't say the same for Henry though.

"Hey Neal," the boy looked a bit shaken, worry apparent in his eyes.

"Come on in," Neal said, and Henry walked in, and sat down on a chair near the bed.

"Emma's in the shower, she won't be out for a while."

"That's fine," Henry said. "I need to talk to you."

"You okay?" Neal final asked.

"Yeah," Henry said, but his mood didn't show it. "Dad, you know Mr. Gold?"

_Know him? He's only the father who abandoned me 300 years ago_.

"Yeah, sort of," Neal said hesitantly.

"Well, I kind of…" Henry trailed off a bit. "Owe him a favor…"

"_WHAT_?!" Neal shouted. He paused for a second, hoping Emma didn't hear him, because he had no idea what she'd make of something like this. It would drop the "fairytale bomb" way too fast.

"I owe him a favor," Henry looked uneasy about this.

_With damn good reason_, Neal thought.

"How did that happen?" Neal asked, for the first time, actually speaking in that stern, fatherly tone.

"I have a friend," Henry began. "She was pregnant, and she owed her baby to Mr. Gold," Neal felt anger grow, but he was hardly surprised. He had a huge shock when he found that his father was a fairytale character in this world, and nothing but disgust when he found his father dealt _children_.

"I went to Gold, and asked him to forget about her debt. He agreed, but only if I owed him a favor," Henry swallowed. "He came by today, and said that he wanted to talk to you." Neal immediately paled at those last words.

His father remembers.

Not only that, but his father knew who Neal is.

Neal's initial reaction; to say no. That his father can rot in hell as far as he was concerned. That he had no intention for a teary reunion with the man who abandoned him.

Except for one thing. Henry.

Neal knew fully well what happened to people who broke deals with his father. And he had _no_ intention of such a thing happening to his son.

"Do you know him?" Henry asked, snapping Neal from his thoughts.

"Yeah…I do."

"How?"

"Henry," Neal inwardly groaned. It was time for the talk.

"You know the stories you used to read? From your storybook?"

"Yeah," Henry said, unsure of where his father was going,

"Well…" _Think of something. Don't just drop the bomb right there_.

"Well…?" Henry asked in impatient anticipation.

"Uh…" Neal did his best to stall as long as he could, but he could see Henry couldn't take it any longer.

"What is it?"

"They're real."

_Awesome. Way to not drop the bomb, Cassidy._

Though Neal expected his son to think he was mocking him or had gone nuts, Henry beamed in excitement, something that was very rare for the usually sullen kid.

"You know it's real?"

"Yeah…" Neal said, confused.

"How?" Henry was as excited and energetic as a ten year old kid at this point. "Did someone tell you? Where you from the Forest?"

"I, uh," Neal ran his hands through his hair, almost reliving the last moments he was in the Enchanted Forest. "I'm from there, yeah."

"Who were you?" Henry asked eagerly. "I don't think I've seen a picture of you…"

Neal snorted. "I kind of changed a lot last I was in the Enchanted Forest, buddy."

"How long ago was that?"

Neal murmured something Henry couldn't quite make out.

"Huh?"

"About three hundred years," Neal laughed at Henry's expression, which quite honestly, would cause laughter from anyone.

"_What_? How could that have happened?"

"Let's just say…this world wasn't exactly my first stop," Henry looked like he wanted to ask more, but Neal was grateful he didn't.

"Alright. Hey, you didn't answer my first question," Henry said. "How do you know Gold?"

Neal sighed. "He's my father."

Henry didn't seem that surprised, but when compared to finding that the town you grew up in a magical prison for fairytale characters and your father is over 300 years old, your father being the son of the Dark One seems to pale a bit in comparison.

He remembered reading about the son of Rumplestiltskin, Baelfire, who was lost. The storybook wasn't that specific on how he lost Baelfire, only that he was the catalyst for Rumplestiltskin's descent into darkness.

"You're Baelfire then?"

Neal closed his eyes at the mention of his old name. That was the first time, since the day he escaped Neverland that he heard it spoken aloud. Sure, he saw it on August's typewriter, but the writer still referred to the man as Neal rather than Baelfire.

"Yeah, Neal finally said after opening his eyes. "I am."

Henry was silent for a moment, until he had a disturbed expression on his face. "So that means Rumplestiltskin's my…"

Neal chuckled. "Yup, he is."

"Okay, so Regina, the Evil Queen is my adopted mother, Snow White and Prince Charming are my maternal grandparents, and Rumplestiltskin's my paternal grandfather?" Neal began laughing before Henry continued, his face buried in his hands. "God, if we had a Thanksgiving dinner together, that would totally _suck_."

Neal was thankful for Henry lightening up the mood. After the laughter died down, the two sat in silence for a while.

"So what are you going to do?" Henry asked.

"I have to talk to him, I guess," Neal said, all of a sudden, feeling like a fourteen year old boy again, except hardly as brave as he used to be then. Neal stared at the ground, and saw Henry's feet move towards him. He felt a hand on his own, giving a small, sympathetic squeeze.

"It'll be fine dad," Henry said as he moved closer to hug his father. "I promise."

* * *

Neal paced the ground, taking some time to kick a random stone or piece of wood to pass the time. He had been at the clearing for about an hour, waiting for Rumplestiltskin, or Mr. Gold, as he's known to the people of Storybrooke, to arrive.

Honestly, Neal wasn't sure how much time passed. He hardly even knew how long a minute felt anymore, and he could thank being in the timeless world of Neverland for that.

What would Neal say? Honestly, there were times in his life where he mentally rehearsed a speech of harsh words to his father, one he had 300 years to perfect. It contained a fair amount of curses, ones from the Enchanted Forest, and ones he picked while in New York. Neal memorized it, from every last word to the precise tone he'd use to emphasis each syllable.

Now, when he had the chance to shatter the man who let him go, it seems he forgot the entire speech, as if it was wiped from his very memory.

Neal was about to kick his eighteenth stone a satisfyingly far distance until he heard a clear of a throat. He looked to see none other than his father, who looked about as afraid as he was when he let Neal go.

Father and son stared each other down in silence, neither of them saying a word. Neal looked at Gold in such a manner that said "_go on, say something. I dare you_".

It was Gold who finally spoke. "I know who you are," Neal's eyebrows raised quizzically, as if challenging the man.

Neal couldn't deny it; he still loved his father. That didn't mean he didn't hate him though. And oh, how he hated him. The hate was easy, of course. Could it be any easier to hate someone who once swore would never leave you, and let you go into a swirling vortex? Of course not.

The love was what made it so painful. Since as long as Neal could remember, he had the same dream, night after night. His dreams seemed to be frozen at that particular moment, when his father let go of his hand, and he'd be sucked through the portal. He'd cry, he'd scream, he'd beg, he'd curse, but nothing would change.

There were many times when he was young, when he'd wake up in cold sweat, and cry himself to sleep, begging for the only family he had for a long time to be back, despite everything.

Now it seems Neal had gotten his wish.

Gold closed the distance between them and stepped closer to his long lost son. Anyone else looking at Mr. Gold now would be afraid at how vulnerable he looked right now.

So, Gold finally said the one word that meant the world to him, the one word he had wished to say aloud for 300 years.

"Baelfire."


End file.
